Praetorian Series [4] All Roads Lead to Rome

by Edward Crichton

  He paused for what I assumed was dramatic effect, but then he placed his hands upon the table before him and leaned heavily on his arms, and then I wasn’t sure if he was being dramatic or indecisive. He dipped his head momentarily but then snapped it back up, causing his neck to jiggle in response.

  “We are abandoning our foothold here in Britain,” he announced. “Aulus, Legate Saturninus – who is away at the moment – and I will lead our three legions into Gaul where they will split. Legate Plautius and Legate Saturninus will lead the II Augusta and XX Valeria Victrix to Germany while I will take the XV Primigenia to Iberia…”

  “Where’s that?” I whispered to John.

  “Spain.”

  “Oh.”

  “…with what few Praetorians remain in our care,” Galba continued, “where we will work to ensure it remains placid.”

  “What?!” Helena and I shouted at the same time. I looked at her, ready to step back while she challenged Galba, but she simply stood there in apparent shock, not ready to continue, so I turned back to Galba myself. “But you have to stay here. Jacob always said that Rome had to conquer Britain for…”

  Galba raised a hand and cut me off. “Do not say more than what others are unprepared to hear,” he said, flicking his eyes in the direction of his friend, Aulus.

  I was amazed that he still felt the need to conceal the reality behind who we were and where we came from, even from someone he seemed to trust more than any of us, but I supposed it seemed rational to keep as few people as possible from understanding the reality of time travel… or that there were people present who could control it. Even with everything that had happened recently, it was certainly possible that such knowledge in the wrong hands could only make the situation worse.

  “Britain is merely territory,” Galba picked up. “It will still be here when the political situation in Rome has calmed, and when its Legions are ready to conquer again. For now, we must reclaim what we have already lost and preserve what we have.”

  Helena looked up, her face calm and her words quiet and no longer accusatory for once. “You promised we would go after Jacob. You promised me.”

  Galba looked at her almost sympathetically. “I have not altered that terms of our deal. I have simply placed it lower on our list of priorities. Agrippina will not be welcomed when she returns to Rome, and she will have less than half of her Praetorian force available to her should she even arrive. She can wait. With fortune on our side, we can arrive in Iberia within two months, and be in Rome in six. Even though I do not expect much aggression there, we must nevertheless reinforce Roman rule where we can. It should be quick, but necessary. I am sorry.”

  “But Jacob…” she started.

  “…is of no concern,” Galba finished. “Warped though his mind may be, I do not believe he will simply abandon you all. Let him do what he left to do. Perhaps he will grow so tired of Agrippina completely that he will apprehend her himself.”

  “How can you say that?!” Helena hissed as she took a step toward Galba to glare at him. She flicked her eyes at Plautius, and lowered her voice. “You know how manipulative Agrippina is and how susceptible Jacob is now, and you know what kind of damage Agrippina can do with the power they’re after. We have to be there to stop them so that…”

  “You have such little faith in the man you so often profess to love,” Galba interrupted, glaring right back at her. “For all his faults, Hunter is not stupid, and even with everything that has happened to him, he will not so easily fall to her machinations. Perhaps I have placed too much faith in him, but perhaps you should place more.”

  Helena blinked at his comment and took an uneven step backward, almost falling in the process. I thought to help her, but she steadied herself and stood solidly on her own near the wall, alone with her thoughts once again.

  Galba nodded and returned his attention to the map.

  “As I was saying. Once Iberia is placated, I will lead the XV Primigenia to Rome where we will apprehend Agrippina and save Hunter from her web of deceits. This decision does not come easily, as I need not remind you of the ramifications of such an action. As you know…”

  Galba trailed off, as though he was remembering something.

  “Forget something?” John asked, causing Galba to nod slowly.

  “Simply that it is perhaps not so obvious that I need not remind you,” Galba commented, and the confusion on our faces must have prompted him to clarify. “Do any of you understand the consequences I speak of?”

  As I knew next to nothing about Roman History, the same with Alex, and John had about as little patience for such things as a fifth grader, I figured none of us did. Helena might have, because of everything Jacob had taught her over the years, but she no longer appeared interested in being part of the conversation anymore.

  Galba must have caught on, because he sighed before continuing. “I never thought I would live to see a moment where I missed any of you, but now I do, as Vincent and Jacob would have no need for me to explain.” He shook his head in annoyance and pointed at the map, somewhere in northern Italy. “You see, it is illegal for me to march an army into Italy. There is a demarcation line here in Cisalpine Gaul that is the furthest south any Roman general can lead troops. Going further is an act of rebellion. I was forced to do it once before, but it was at the behest of a legitimate emperor, and I have no desire to repeat the action. I do not wish for my name to be associated with such acts, and placed alongside tyrants like Marius and Sulla. But I do not believe I have a choice. The only way to apprehend Agrippina is through military force, and as she only has a small army currently at…”

  He broke off when Gaius stepped forward with military precision and stopped a step away from the table. Every head in the tent turned to look at him, and while Plautius appeared annoyed by his improper attitude, Galba simply looked interested. I wondered why, since Galba seemed as high strung as the rest of them, but I supposed it could have had something to do with the fact that Galba and Gaius and Marcus had had something of a working a relationship for years now.

  “There is another option, Legate,” Gaius said with little emotion.

  “You forget your place, Praetorian,” Plautius warned

  “No,” Galba said, finally leaning off the table. “Let him speak.”

  Gaius pointed at the map. “Send us to Rome, Legate. Marcus and I are Praetorians, and hold high rank. Let us lead the empress’ few remaining Praetorians with us to Rome immediately and…”

  “No,” Galba said.

  “Sir?” Marcus asked, already stepping up beside his friend. “But we can…”

  “The two of you have spent far too much time with Hunter and his ilk,” Galba said with the shake of his head. “Surreptitious infiltration missions and clandestine operations will not work here. We must eliminate Agrippina’s forces through military action and I must take control of the Senate myself and steer it back on the proper path. Besides, I do not trust them…”

  “Take control of the Senate yourself?” Helena asked, recovering from her momentary detachment from reality. “Jacob was right after all. You’re on nothing more than a power trip here. Just another Julius Caesar hoping to take control of the government for yourself. You…”

  “Silence, woman!” Galba roared, and he looked ready to walk up to Helena and smack her, but then he must have remembered she wasn’t so easily disciplined and backed down. “You understand nothing of Roman politics. Julius Caesar led Rome out of lethargy and corruption, and set it on a course toward great things. It is not my wish to take control of Rome, but I will do what I must to…”

  “What about Vespasian?” Helena demanded. “He’s already doing everything he can to hold your vaunted empire together. Why ignore him and his efforts? He should be the one to take control from Agri…”

  “Because he was the catalyst for all this!” Galba shouted, even louder than before, and this time he did take a step forward, raising his hand high beside his head to smack Helena with,
but she simply stood there, her arms crossed, appearing almost like she wanted him to hit her. Like she didn’t even care. But Galba backed down, although his eyes continued to glare at her with incensed frustration.

  He took a step back, thought for a moment, and sighed before pointing toward the exit. “I asked you all here as a courtesy, but as I have now told you all the relevant details you need to know, please leave. Legate Plautius and I have much to discuss before Legate Saturninus returns. Our decisions on the matter have been made.”

  Helena didn’t even bother to argue as she looked away, frowning, unable to think of anything more to say. Moments later she slowly marched out of the tent. Everyone watched her go, but once she was gone, we all realized it was time to do the same and followed. I looked up at John and gave him a quick smile and a squeeze of his arm before I took off to catch up with Helena. I found her already a few dozen steps away as she walked to her tent, her arms wrapped protectively around her stomach.

  I stepped up beside her and reached up to grip her shoulder comfortingly. “You know… Jacob would have loved the way you started arguing history with Gal…”

  “Does it look like I care, Diana?” She asked, yanking her shoulder roughly to dislodge my hand. She freed herself easily and picked up her pace, and all I could think to do was stop and watch her go. She set off with hunched shoulders and a sadness to her step, and I supposed I didn’t blame her.

  I watched her go for a few moments before John walked up beside me. In the time between Helena’s exit and John’s arrival, although it was only seconds, I’d felt more alone than I ever thought I could. But with John’s supportive presence, I felt comforted again, and that sense of isolation was gone. No matter where I was or what was happening around me, as long as I had John or the rest of my new friends, I knew I wasn’t alone, and that there was always hope.

  If only Jacob had remembered that.

  If only Helena could remember that now as well.

  I looked over at my loyal companion and scooted closer so that I could rest the side of my head atop his shoulder. It was an easy and comfortable position, as he wasn’t much taller than me, if at all.

  I didn’t want to move for the rest of eternity.

  “This is going to get worse before it gets better, isn’t it?” I asked.

  I felt his head nod. “Always seems to around here.”

  “But is she going to be all right? You know her better than anyone.”

  There was a clear moment of hesitation before he answered. “I really don’t know. She and Jacob always seemed like two parts of the same person. You know, perfect for each other, like in a shitty Romcom.”

  I didn’t know what that was, but I didn’t interrupt.

  “They grew very close over the last few years,” he continued. “Seriously close. But they had to in order to survive, I guess. They’re just that kind of people. I’m not… although their relationship gave me a whole new appreciation of the expression ‘fifth wheel’, but it was okay, because they accepted me. But they were always together, always with each other, even with that little lover’s spat they had last year. I knew it would blow over, because it was… them. You know? But… now? With the orb? And the baby? And with whatever happened that saved Helena’s life? I haven’t got a clue anymore. I really don’t. I don’t see a perfect ending to all this. I really, really don’t.”

  I pulled away and looked at him intently, taking his shoulder in my hand and shook him. “How can you say that? You’re the one who always find a way to see the better side of things, to be optimistic, and carefree. You can’t just give up!”

  John shifted his feet so that he faced me, and grabbed my shoulders with both hands. He leaned in a bit and stared at me with wide, sympathetic eyes. It was an odd expression to see on his face, and I grew concerned in that moment that maybe he was right, that this would all end in ruin, but then a smile crept onto his face, slow to start at first, but ending as wide and gleeful as I’d ever seen before.

  “You’re damn right I can’t give up,” he said, his voice confident. “You see, Artie, you’re missing the point of all this. The thing is: Jacob and Helena aren’t the heroes of this story… I am! So don’t worry about a thing. Of course I’ll fix everything.”

  Despite it all, I couldn’t help but laugh as I smacked his chest lightly. “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?”

  “Fuck no!” He said as he pulled away but then his smile faltered. “Although, maybe I’m saying it to make myself feel a bit better. I guess my real point is that we have to stay strong, Artie. Let’s just forget it about it for now. I mean, we’re still in Britain. There’s plenty of time left for things to swing back around and go our way. Let’s go get some of that deer I heard you bagged and worry about the other stuff later. Such a turn on, by the way…”

  My smile remained and the confidence I felt in my chest grew at his words, words that weren’t contrived and demeaning to appease my worries, but honest and even uplifting ones. He was right. Things could still change and hope could return, and it was counterproductive to ruminate on our eventual defeat before the end result was even known. It was best to focus on what we had now and prepare ourselves for the future, not worry that it was all automatically going to end in disaster.

  I wrapped John into a hug just then, feeling that if we were going to make the best of everything as he said, then I was going to do it exactly the way I wanted to, and that meant taking advantage of whatever benefit I had, which included John’s warm, comforting, and way-too-sexy body. My smile grew at the thought, but when I opened my eyes, I was still able to see Helena far off in the distance, continuing her journey toward wherever it was she was going, and my smile immediately turned to a frown.

  Where she was going to find solace, I hadn’t any idea, especially if she continued pushing the rest of us away to focus on her quest to save Jacob alone; a task that couldn’t progress any further or faster than our own to do the same. I knew I had to break through her shell of self-protection and fear, and reach the loving, kind woman I knew she really was; the woman who would have put all her guns, resigned attitudes, and inferiority complexes aside to be the best kind of mother possible had she only had the chance.

  Helena was in there somewhere. I just had to find her.

  If I didn’t, if I failed, when we finally saved Jacob, he might not have the Helena he remembered to come back to, and who knew where that would leave him.

  IV

  Rubicon

  May, 44 A.D.

  Northern Italy

  Jacob Hunter

  “This is the second group since crossing the Alps,” I said, as I manhandled the body of a man and prepared to toss him near his compatriots, four in total.

  “Our reputations must proceed us,” Agrippina suggested as she watched the woods for further intruders.

  “Yours or mine…” I mumbled, the question an honest thought in my mind.

  “Excuse me?” Agrippina asked, not hearing me.

  I didn’t answer as I dropped the body with a squishy thud in the wet mud beneath him.

  Spring had certainly arrived, and now that we were in Italy, warm weather had finally returned as well, along with numerous spring storms that had left the area drenched in a steady blanket of rain since we’d arrived through the Alps only a few days ago. What I hadn’t expected when arriving in Italy was all the trouble we’d found ourselves in, but considering the route we’d taken to get here, I wasn’t overly surprised.

  Romans and barbarians alike had long ago learned of accessible passes through the vast mountains that made up the Alps, so our journey hadn’t lasted long or been particularly arduous. We hadn’t exactly been Hannibal, crossing over the Alps with thirty eight elephants – or was it thirty seven – in tow, after all. All we had were a few horses, but because we’d taken the safer and more prescribed paths, we hadn’t exactly kept a low profile.

  Prodigious in size, scope, and beauty, the Alps could be
a great place to hide, but safely crossing them required us to utilize well-used paths that had us meeting dozens of random passersby along the way. Most had seemed genial folk, probably locals or adventure seekers hoping to scale a mountain or two, and we hadn’t stopped to speak to most and Agrippina had always kept herself concealed behind a veil when meeting new people – even though the chance of one of these people recognizing her was next to zero.

  None had barred our passage or had sought to delay our journey, but a few had appeared rather unscrupulous. I’d taken careful note of each of them, creating a mental encyclopedia of who we’d encountered, tallying swords, bows, daggers, shields, and beards alike – I’d come to realize the more heavily bearded these folks were, the more unlawful they seemed to be, myself excluded, of course.

  Yet, despite the tight confines of the mountain passes, with no lodgings available for Agrippina and I to utilize, we hadn’t once been attacked while camping through the Alps. We’d been allowed to sleep in relative peace, which I couldn’t have been more grateful for, as the cold had returned at the higher altitudes, and Agrippina and I had been forced to sleep in close proximity to stay warm.

  It hadn’t been an altogether unpleasant experience, I had to admit.

  However, since entering the Italian peninsula, we’d already been attacked twice by roving gangs of vagabonds, a pattern that was quickly seeming less like random assaults, and more like orchestrated attacks. The first night hadn’t been much of a fight at all, as the small cadre of five armed assailants had crept up on us in a tight clump, triggering the lone claymore I’d kept planted near our camp every night for such an occurrence.

  The blast had awakened Agrippina in a fright and she’d jumped into my arms, but I’d thrown her off me to investigate, pistol at the ready, only to emerge into the cold night air to find five bodies sprawled on the ground, ripped to shreds by the shrapnel contained within the claymore. It had been my last, the last in all of antiquity as far as I knew, but I didn’t mind using it since it had gotten the job done.