Praetorian Series [4] All Roads Lead to Rome (16 page)

Completed only last year, just before she’d set out to take over her Germanic war campaign – or so she’d told me – I couldn’t help but stand awestruck before it.  She’d left much of what had been Augustus’ original austere and simple home, but had expanded on it heavily, creating a structure that would have put the
Domus Augustana
, the palatial complex commissioned under Domitian fifty years from now on the exact same spot, to shame.  It was large and majestic, sprawling over a good portion of the south side of the hill, with towering columns and walls that precariously followed the path of the sheer cliff face on three sides of the hill, which had also been excavated to appear steeper than before.  As it had in its previous iteration, the structure’s south façade soared above the
Circus Maximus,
which was nestled at the base of the hill, and the building was littered with viewing stands and entertainment boxes from which one could view the stadium.  Even the
Circus Maximus
itself seemed to have been modified a bit, as the wall facing the Palatine Hill had been lowered to give those watching a race from Agrippina’s home a clearer field of view. 

Such a structure demanded a horde of attendants and slaves to keep it functioning, and each and every one of them had been beyond excited to see that Agrippina had returned – at least they
appeared
excited.  Whether that excitement was forced or earned by Agrippina’s charisma was a guess I didn’t care to venture at, but the result was the same.  We had to shove our way past a legion of servants and slaves, while other, more dignified, individuals, who I assumed were other members of Rome’s elite who either owned homes on the hill or were visiting local amenities, were also in attendance but mostly kept their emotions in check.

Once through the mob, Agrippina immediately left to find Nero, but not before ordering her advisors to ask me a few questions regarding Rome’s current military situation.  I’d visited most this great big empire in the past few years, and had been near the front lines of numerous battles or rebellions. I also had a military mind capable of analyzing it all, but that didn’t mean that I was interested in telling these guys much of anything.

Agrippina had stopped her effort to find her son after I’d angrily told her I wasn’t going to tell them anything, and that I’d agreed to come here for nothing more than a hot bath and some food.  She’d seemed to understand, but had asked again more nicely, almost pleadingly, with a hand placed against my chest and her eyes as wide as a puppy dog’s.  I’d finally given in.  She’d done so much for me in recent months, had been extremely supportive, and had been my safe ticket into Rome.  What’s more, she seemed so genuinely different now, and the relationship we’d forged had become… special.

I didn’t seem able to deny her much of anything anymore.

And I was all right with that.

When she’d finally left after pacifying my frustration, she’d mentioned that my questioning should be finished within an hour, and if it wasn’t, she’d return and fetch me.  I’d figured I could handle an hour of my time being wasted by these yahoos, so I’d agreed. 

Five hours later, I’d finally been able to leave the dimly lit and secure cell that had become my interrogation room.

While it hadn’t been a malicious trap sprung on me by Agrippina in yet another maneuver to stab me in the back, it had certainly felt like it.  She’d abandoned me for the entire afternoon, leaving me alone with a half dozen military officials who’d grilled me for information concerning what had happened in Judea and Britain, about Galba and Vespasian, and more.  I’d answered all their questions and offered insight into the military situations Rome was facing in various theatres of war, but when they’d started questioning me about what was going on in Germany, I’d just about murdered all of them.

I’d never been in Germany, nor had I witnessed a single battle there, so I’d sat in silence for about an hour until they had finally released me, grudgingly allowing a pair of Agrippina’s house slaves to lead me to the empress’ home proper.  The two slaves were extremely lovely, wearing silken dresses that barely fell past their hips.  I’d thought their attire quite strange –  although I certainly wasn’t about to complain – until they’d taken me directly to a bath complex attached to the palatial estate, where one could take a dip in bath water that was either cold, warm, or hot, relax, and have your body scraped down and cleaned before it was lathered in scented oils.

It was extraordinarily hot in the complex, and I started to sweat almost immediately, as did the pair of young women, despite their loose and comfortable clothing.  I still wore my tattered combat fatigues and carried all of my gear – not exactly spa attire.

The bath house was also huge, reminding me more of an indoor sports arena rather than a bathroom.  I followed the pair of silent young ladies as they continued onward.  Our final destination was obvious to them, if not me, so I took the opportunity to observe my surroundings.  A part of me expected this place to be some sort of brothel, with sex-rooms meant for all forms of debaucheries scattered throughout.

But, in fact, it was quite the opposite.

It was a classy establishment, with a large, Olympic-sized communal pool separated by a submerged stone wall so that hot and cool water could reside side by side.  I assumed this was the main facility, and I saw a number of men and women utilizing either pool or switching back and forth, modesty cast aside while still appearing to maintain proper decorum, some wearing silken wraps that covered their upper bodies, waists, and thighs, while those in the pools were naked.  A number of them looked at me in curiosity and interest, but none questioned my passage.

Other amenities dotted the main room as well: a wrestling pit, massage tables, food and drink bars, and oil and cleaning stations, among others, but my journey continued past this room, through an adjoining doorway that led to a long hallway with private bath rooms hidden behind curtained screens and comfortable anterooms to convene with others in between bathing sessions.  It was the last thing I expected from an overly sexual creature like Agrippina.

Joyful laughter wafted from behind the curtains of many of these rooms, but many of the rooms seemed empty as we passed by.  My two escorts continued past a half dozen of these rooms until we reached the end of the hall.  In retrospection, I should have been suspicious, but I figured Agrippina simply wanted me to have my privacy, not that she was leading me into a trap. 

The pair of ladies led me into the private pool’s anteroom and began the process of disarming and disrobing me.  They removed the cloak that hid my MOLLE vest and assortment of gear, before moving on to my gear itself.  One woman fiddled haphazardly with the web belt that held my pistol holster to my thigh while the other removed my vest.  She was the first to finish, moving next to pull my shirt over my head while the other had finally finished with my holster and now tugged off my pants, along with everything beneath.  At that moment, I wondered what would happen next, but then the two simply gathered up everything they’d taken off me, folded my clothes, and placed them into neat little piles while stacking my gear beside it.

When they finally scampered out of the room, leaving me alone, confused, and naked, I walked over to my gathered gear and retrieved the orb from its pouch and removed my pistol from its holster.  Armed and operational, I turned to step through the anteroom’s inner curtain and entered the bath itself.

The room was far larger than I’d expected, and adorned opulently with columns, vine-like wreaths, benches, and it even had a Roman-style tiki bar in the corner – closed at the moment, unfortunately.  A steaming bath about the size of a racquetball court dominated the room, while a smaller, circular pool sat off to the side.  I approached it first and dipped my toe, and felt it go numb almost immediately in the frigid water.

I hadn’t a clue how the Romans kept water cooler than room temperature, but I wasn’t surprised.

Deciding I’d dip into the cold bath once I’d had ample time soaking up the warmth of the hot one, I stepped toward the larger pool, and, ever so slightly, lowered myself into it.  The water practically scalded my body, but every inch I lowered myself felt increasingly better than the last.  By the time I was in past my bellybutton, my entire body felt as though it was on fire… and it felt amazing.

Placing the orb and pistol on the lip of the pool, I seated myself upon a submerged stone bench and rested my head against a carved headrest that had a soft pillow tied to it.  Taking a deep breath, inhaling the relaxing scents of lavender and chamomile, I allowed myself to relax, a state of being I’d all but forgotten in recent time.  I could have fallen asleep, reassured by the orb’s presence and the soothing atmosphere, but the soft sound of the curtain being drawn aside caught my attention.  Expecting my escorts to have returned, I casually lifted my head to view the entrance, but instead of the young beauties stood an enormous individual, clad in the ubiquitous sheer sarong worn by nearly everyone at the bath complex.

Instinct kicked in, alerting me to the fact that I’d been ambushed.  I was cornered with no alternative point of egress available and my muscles were relaxed and sluggish from soaking chest deep in the soothing warmth.

It had been the perfect place to lure me into a trap.

Without thinking. I shot to my feet as quickly as my weakened muscles and withered body would allow, pulling myself up through the water and reaching for my pistol.  I swung my legs onto the stone surface and took hold of my pistol in the same motion.  I didn’t bother standing, choosing instead to fall to the stone slab, banging my knees in the process, and rolling to the left, away from the pool.  I came to a stop on my stomach and lifted my weapon, training it on the interloper from a prone position, but he’d already moved.  He too had rolled away, purposefully dropping himself into the cool water pool and out of sight, but I waited patiently, knowing he could only stay submerged for a few seconds.  When he emerged, I felt my finger tightening around the trigger, but didn’t immediately fire, wanting to learn who he was first.

Which is when I realized he wasn’t a he at all, but a she.  Not just any she, but a she I recognized, even with her wet hair matted down and clinging to her scalp.

It was Boudicca.

“What the hell are you doing here?”  I demanded, maintaining my firing position, every muscle in my body primed for action.  If Boudicca was here, that could only mean the others weren’t far behind, and I couldn’t risk them trying to bring me in or take down Agrippina before I found the red orb.

Boudicca didn’t answer, taking a moment to heft herself out of the frigid pool.  I tracked her with my pistol as she rose, but when she was out of the pool, she lifted her hands innocently.

“My vow to protect you did not end when you left Britain,” she said, her face and body dripping with cold water and pooling on the floor beneath her.  “I hesitated when you left with Rome’s empress, but I should not have.  I apologize, Cernunnos… Jacob.”

“Apologize?”

She nodded.  “As your destined task remains uncompleted, so too does mine.  Should you fail or fall, I too will have failed, and my people will suffer for it.”

I cocked my head to the side.  “You followed me all the way to Rome?”

“I tracked you, yes.”

I suddenly realized it must have been her I’d seen or sensed all those times while on the road to Rome.

Using my arms, I struggled upward, having to drop a knee to steady myself.  I shook my head at my sudden weakness, extended a foot, and pushed myself up off my knee.  As I stood, I couldn’t help but notice Boudicca’s eyes flick downward, while I couldn’t help but notice how her wet outfit clung to her muscular body. 

It was an awkward moment, but not one that distracted me.

“So why reveal yourself now?”  I asked, finally lowering my pistol.

“Now is the first time you have been alone since leaving Britain.  This facility is very public but even I found it easy to remain hidden here. I attracted little attention, but, this place, it… it is interesting.”

My eyes widened slightly as I realized that Boudicca must have found
all
of Rome to be far more than just
interesting
.  She must have been amazed and astounded at what she’d discovered here.  Nothing like it existed in all of Britain – in all of Europe for that matter – and I was equally amazed at her ability to rein in her emotions at simply being here.  It all must have felt about as unreal as it had for me when I’d showed up in Ancient Rome from the future.

I glanced over her shoulder, but there wasn’t anyone in the anteroom.  “You’re here alone?”

She nodded.

“What about… the others?”

I asked the question with only a vague recollection of whom I was referring to, individuals who were already fading from memory even after they’d just now appeared in my mind.  I glanced down and felt the orb resting against my ankle, its surface burning a hole into my skin.  I savored the sensation, feeling its strength and power.

Boudicca wiped a hand down her face as she answered.  “I have not encountered them since I left.  They… were concerned, but…”

“Yeah, that’s okay,” I said, holding up a hand, other more important thoughts circulating through my mind.  “What’s important is that you’re here. I can actually use your help. Agrippina and I plan to spend the next few days searching for the red orb. I trust her, but I can’t be sure there aren’t others in Rome watching us, who might move against us if we find it. Believe it or not, but I’m in no shape to take on the entire Praetorian Guard.  So, I need you to follow us through the city tomorrow, just as you’ve been doing since Britain, and be ready to move if I need you.”