“Come on, or we’ll be late, c
arissima
.” Without giving her a chance to speak, he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door of the study. When she hesitated, he stopped and turned his head to look at her over his shoulder. “You asked me to trust you, il
mio
amore
. Now, I want you to trust me.”
She swallowed hard. This trusting thing wasn’t quite so easy when it came to trusting him not to put himself in harm’s way. And something deep inside her said it was exactly what he was planning. Reluctantly, she nodded.
“I trust you, c
aro
.” She forced a smile to her face in spite of her misgivings and followed him out of the room.
Chapter 25
THE briefing room was quiet as Lysander gently pushed Phaedra through the doorway. The team sat quietly at the table, their uneasy manner telling him that despite Atia’s backing, they still didn’t trust him. He understood that. Ares and Emma sat to the left of his place at the head of the table, while Phaedra sat down on his right next to Cleo.
The fact that his staunchest supporters were seated near him wasn’t lost on him. It was a show of support the rest of the team would find hard to ignore. He was too restless to sit down, so he folded his arms across his chest and looked to his left.
“Emma, why don’t you share what you and the Prim
a Consul
learned about the plate we found the other night.”
“Angelo, would you mind pulling up your map of the city and layering it with the ancient city map, please?”
Emma looked across the table at the historian who nodded and quickly went to work on the laptop in front of him. As he worked, Emma unwrapped the artifact in front of her then carefully held it up for everyone in the room to see. The bronze plate had been carefully cleaned and a large part of the brown, crusty matter that had covered it was now gone.
“This is the artifact we found the other night at the Circus Maxentius. We found the plate under one of the s
pina’s
foundation stones. Whoever placed it there dug out a hole beneath the original marble that encased the s
pina
. The plate was shoved under the stone foundation itself then a base of mud mortar was added over top of it before dirt was layered on top.”
Gently returning the plate to the center of the cloth it had been wrapped in, Emma glanced up at the wall screen as the maps popped up. She stood up to walk around the table as she continued her explanation.
“Based on where we found it, and the condition it’s in, I’d say it dates back to the time of Constantine’s rule in Rome. We’ve been able to clean the artifact enough to make out the complete inscription. It’s in Latin, but the Prim
a Consul
translated it for me. It says ‘The
Tyet of Isis
is safe from Octavian, and if one follows the signs, it can be found at the center of all that is Sicari.’ “
“So we’re right back where we started with one more clue added to the list,” Marco said with a grimace. The Prim
us Pilus
leaned back in his chair and sighed in disgust.
“Not at all.” Emma shook her head. “I actually think this clue is the strongest we have. In
fact, I think it’s the one that will lead us straight to the Tyet
of Isis
.”
“That’s what we thought about the last two clues, but none of those have panned out either,” Cleo said quietly. Emma sent Lysander’s friend a sympathetic smile before turning to Angelo Atellus.
“Angelo, would you mind triangulating the two maps here with the icons that have been found, please.” As the historian clicked away at his keyboard, Emma looked around the room. “I understand your frustration and your skepticism, but I’m convinced this plate tells us exactly where the Tyet
of Isis
really is.”
“There you go, D
omina
.” Angelo’s tone was one of respect as Emma smiled at him.
“Look at all these places where we’ve found a Sicari icon.” With two fingers, she pointed to the various pinpoints on the map that indicated where a symbol had been found. “Does anyone notice anything interesting about their placements?”
“They’re all over the city,” Pasquale said as he waved at the map. “We find one clue, only to have it send us off in a chase to find a new tip. It’s like chasing butterflies.”
“F
otte.
” Cleo sprang to her feet and joined Emma at the wall screen. Her fingers touching one location after another, she looked at Emma. “If you connect the dots, they surround the Field of Mars area.”
“They’re place markers,” Emma said with a smile before she turned to Angelo. “Can you draw a line between the icons found at the Mausoleum at Augustus and Pompey’s Theater?”
“Sure.” Angelo shrugged slightly as he drew the line with the mouse.
“Right,” Cleo exclaimed with excitement as she turned back to the map. “Here’s an icon we found at the Trajan Forum and the Bridge of Hadrian. Draw a line between those two. It’s like X marks the spot.”
“Exactly, the Tyet
of Isis
has to be in the Pantheon. It was the central worship center for all Romans who hadn’t converted from their gods to the Church’s teachings. In other words,
all Sicari
. Now we just need to know
where
the artifact is inside the building.”
As Lysander stared at the screen, the images from his last dream rose up to haunt him. Maximus—he’d gone to the Saepta Julia to rescue Phaedra from Octavian. The small alleyway he knew about had been the only way he’d been able to reach her. An alley he’d found when he’d moved the Tyet
of Isis
and placed it with Vesta. Emma’s voice penetrated his consciousness.
“It’s in the niche that once held a statue of Vesta. It’s between two icons etched in the base of the columns bordering the niche.”
By the time he realized he’d spoken out loud, it was too late. The sudden tension in the room only exacerbated his own. The muscles in his face tightened painfully at the looks of amazement and suspicion on the faces of the people in front of him. F
otte.
This wasn’t going to be any easier than the other night.
“How in the hell do you know that?” Pasquale was staring at him like he’d grown two heads.
“Maximus,” Angelo said with a note of awe in his voice.
Emma hurried around the table to a satchel beside her chair. She rooted around in the depths of the brown bag for a moment. When she pulled out the item she was looking for, Lysander recognized her father’s diary. With a sense of urgency, she flipped through the book, until she stopped about three-quarters of the way through.
“Lysander’s right. There are two icons directly opposite each other on the niche’s columns,” Emma said with quiet excitement as she sent him a smile of reassurance. “The center of all that is Sicari would be the Tyet
of Isis
, which is at the center point of those two icons.”
“So exactly how did
he
know that?” Pasquale’s tone was belligerent. The minute Phaedra leaned forward to speak, Lysander gestured for her to remain silent.
“Because he’s Maximus reincarnate.”
Atia’s quiet words made the room grow silent as she walked toward him. It was one thing for Angelo to say he was Maximus, but for the Prim
a Consul
to say it was a different matter altogether. He swallowed the sudden rush of fear rising in his throat as he saw the slender, velvet-wrapped item she carried. The Dagger of Cassiopeia. When she reached him, she laid the artifact on the table.
“Angelo was right recently, when he suggested a Prim
us Pilus
of mixed blood would find the Tyet
of Isis
. Lysander was Primus
Pilus
for Ares in the Chicago guild, before he assumed command of this guild for the purpose of finding the artifact. As everyone now knows, his mother was Sicari, but his father Praetorian.” Atia paused for a moment as she looked around the room. “The actual prophecy, handed down from one Prim
a Consul
to the next, makes it quite clear that Lysander is Maximus.”
Gently, she removed the weapon from its metal scabbard and laid it on the velvet beside the sheath. Embedded in the middle of the grip was a ruby. At the top of the hilt, the squared-off pommel was roughly scarred and misshapen. It looked like someone had dropped it in a forge for a few minutes. Surprisingly, the blade itself looked as pristine as the day he’d first held it. The thought startled him, and he almost recoiled from the table. Instead, he drew in a deep breath and turned his head to look at Atia.
“Bis
vivit qui bene moritur,
” she said in a strong voice.
There was reassurance in her gray eyes as she met his gaze. He
lives twice who dies well.
The Sicari motto. It was often spoken before a warrior entered into a battle with the Praetorians. He knew it was Atia’s way of saying she believed he was Maximus, but he wasn’t sure he was capable of living up to the reputation the Order had built for the first Sicari Lord over the past two thousand years. Even his abilities were a far cry from what Maximus could do.
The sound of a chair rolling away from the table made him jerk his head in the direction of the noise. Luciano Pasquale eyed him with respect as he offered him the traditional Roman salute.
“Bis
vivit qui bene moritur.”
One by one, each of the team members stood up and offered him the salute. The last member of the team to stand was Ares. The salute he gave was all the more powerful because of the brotherly affection Lysander saw in his friend’s eyes. Taken aback by the gesture of acceptance, he locked his jaw against the emotion the sign of respect created in him. Finding it hard to speak, he gave everyone a sharp nod and cleared his throat. Fists pressed into the tabletop, he looked around the table.
“All right, everyone. We’ve got some planning to do.”
For the next two hours, the team laid out a plan for accessing the Pantheon in the middle of the night. When it came time to decide who would actually go on the mission, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He knew everyone wanted to go, but he was certain Nicostratus was watching the house.
Any sign of the entire team heading out on an assignment would alert the
bastardo
that something was up. They’d be followed, and things could get uglier than usual. What he needed was a bare-bones squad of the best members in the installation, and he knew he wasn’t going to be popular when he announced his selections. His gaze met Atia’s, who had sat quietly and patiently in the corner of the briefing room, offering the occasional input. She suddenly rose and gestured for him to follow her out into the hall. When they were out of ear-shot of the team, she eyed him steadily.
“You know I have the right to select team members for this assignment, but I wish to create a united front.” There was an inflexible note in her voice, and he knew better than to argue with her. It just wasn’t worth it at this stage of the game.
“I take it you have someone in mind?” he asked in a low voice.
“I intend to go with you.” He jerked back from her in angry dismay, but she reached out to touch his arm. “I intend to take Ignacio with me. The Prim
a Consul
has the right to be a part of any mission a Sicari team undertakes. You know that. It’s just not done very
often.”
“I don’t give a fuck about your right of office. I’m responsible for your safety as well as my team, and I say you’re not going.”
“You don’t want to argue with me on this, Lysander. I’ll simply follow you, and that could easily jeopardize the mission. I intend to exercise my right in the matter, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“It’s insane.”
“It’s necessary.” A flash of pain flitted across her features before she met his gaze again. “You also know that Phaedra must come.”
“
No
.” He released a sharp hiss of air as he objected.
“She’s your best healer. This mission is too critical for you to leave her behind. Violetta’s incapable of healing life-threatening wounds, and if we send our best people on this assignment, I want someone capable of saving a life.”
His heart sank at the thought of putting Phaedra in the kind of danger they might face tonight. If something happened to her … he swallowed the fear inside him and nodded sharply.
“Emma stays here. Her skills aren’t strong enough. It’s a miracle she escaped harm at the Circus Maxentius the other night.”
“Agreed,” Atia murmured. “I assume you want Ares to come.”
“Yes. And Cleo.” The minute he mentioned her daughter’s name, Atia stiffened and shook her head.
“No. I won’t risk—”
“Cleo, short of Ares, is my best fighter. I need her. Your safety is paramount, and the Order will have my head if something happens to you,” he growled. “She goes or you stay.”
“V
a bene.
” With a sharp nod, Atia agreed.
“Then I think we have everyone we need.” The minute they returned to the briefing room everyone went silent. His gaze surveyed the expressions of everyone at the table, and he steeled himself for the protests.
“After consulting with the Prim
a Consul
, the following people will be going to the Pantheon tonight to retrieve the Tyet
of Isis
. Ares, Cleo, Phaedra, myself, and the Prima
Consul
with her
Celeris
. We’ll meet here in the briefing room at oh-one-hundred for lastminute instructions. That will be all.”
The moment he finished speaking he heard the loud crack of someone slapping their hands against the tabletop. Everyone jerked their head toward the sound, and he saw Cleo jump to her feet with a look of angry fear on her face.
“Are you out of your mi
nd
, Mother? You haven’t gone on an actual mission in years. It’s too dangerous.”
“You forget your place, Cleo.” The icy tone in Atia’s voice made Cleo flinch, but she didn’t back down.
“And you forget yours,
Mother
. This isn’t a little jaunt out to one of your archeological sites. If you fall into the Collegium’s hands, what happened to Lysander will be a picnic compared to what they’ll do to the Order’s Prim
a Consul
.” Cleo didn’t wait for a response, but stormed out of the briefing room.
