Hero of Rome

Cleopatra

The sight of only Caesar on Umbra’s back confirmed Cleopatra’s fears. Livia, who stood expectantly beside Cleopatra as they awaited in the palace’s largest courtyard, collapsed into her arms as soon as the ashy Pegasus came into view with only one rider.

Caesar’s face darkened as he looked to them both when Umbra landed in front of them. It took everything within Cleopatra to not glare at Caesar, let alone stab him with Maximus’s pilum which she could summon on demand. It was Titus’s idea to give her possession of his Pilum of Mars before he left. He had hidden the godly pilum along with his gear and valuables so that Caesar nor anyone else could profit from his death.

Cleopatra closed her eyes which burned with tears. She wished she could thank him.

Umbra refused to make eye contact.

Caesar sighed as he dismounted, pausing with one hand on Umbra’s back as he contemplated what to say. The moment he was off the Pegasus’s back, Umbra shivered, turning to look behind him. Caesar paid it no mind.

Through bitter sobs, Livia whispered. “Where is he?”

“Titus fell when trying to make peace with those savages,” he said, closing his eyes as if he were in pain. “He shared Maximus’s dream of wanting peaceful relations between Rome and the American tribes. Only, those beasts did not share in reason. They killed Titus and my top men running the fort.”

Livia took a minute before responding, still refusing to look at him. “And his body?”

Caesar shook his head. “I will not share the details. But a few of the survivors reported the natives taking his body with them. I assume it was for, er, less humane reasons.”

This broke Livia. It was hard enough to hear of your lover’s death. It was another thing to know he was dishonored in death.

“My condolences to you both,” he said, frowning as if angered. “When I return soon to the Americas, I will avenge them both. I promise.”

“We would like to be alone,” Cleopatra said through her teeth, practically carrying the grieving Livia.

“Of course,” Caesar said, nodding.

As Cleopatra guided Livia away to the palace halls, she noticed the golden Friendship Key on Caesar’s hip. If Titus was killed, how could he have it with him? She would ask Umbra when she got the Pegasus alone.

Livia stopped suddenly when they reached the huntress’s room. “I—I don’t want to sleep alone.” Livia’s eyes were red and puffy as she looked at Cleopatra.

“Of course,” she said, turning around to head to her and Max—, no, just her room. She couldn’t dwell on it either, else it would break her.

Her Praetorian Guards guided them like silent giants to her room. Though they were meant to protect her, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they would listen to Caesar over her any day. After all, Caesar was their emperor, and she was only a widow.

A widow…

Livia laid on Cleopatra’s bed, sobbing into the linen sheets. Cleopatra let her grieve. Though she understood her pain, having recently lost Maximus, she knew that there was nothing she could say to make it better.

The night dragged on as she held Livia on the bed. Livia’s cries slowed as the moon found its tract in the dark skies. Soon, she was snoring softly.

Cleopatra found she couldn’t fall asleep. Even though she was physically exhausted from her pregnancy and the sheer weight of losing loved ones, rest wouldn’t come. Once she was sure Livia wouldn’t wake, she withdrew from the bed, wrapping Livia’s Cloak of Displacement around her shoulders as she slipped away to her personal garden. She had questions burning on her mind and would not rest until they were answered. She was so focused on trying to figure out how she could glean more information about Caesar’s obvious betrayal that she didn’t notice Umbra munching on grass in the shadows.

“Umbra!” she whispered harshly, covering her heart which leaped with fear.

You’ll want to hear this, he thought to her mind. Hurry, there isn’t much time.

Cleopatra leaped onto the Pegasus’s back and together they took off to the cloudy night skies. To her surprise, Umbra landed back on top of the palace a few wings down.

I don’t want to instantly be teleported and leave you falling to your death, he explained.

“What happened?” she pressed.

First, Caesar is definitely up to something. The moment we took off from America I knew something was off. Now I know I’m stronger than most horses and I don’t mind carrying two people. In fact, if you compare me to any of the Praetorian—

“Umbra!” Cleopatra growled.

Anyway, when Caesar and I returned from America, I could have sworn there were two people on my back. Unless Caesar is putting on the weight from grieving Maximus’s death, there was someone else on my back.

Cleopatra remembered when Umbra shivered uncomfortably after Caesar dismounted. Still, she didn’t see where the Pegasus was getting at.

“So, what does that mean then?”

You didn’t see anyone besides Caesar, right?

“Right.”

Who is the only other person that could be then? And might this weirdo’s presence make you question what’s going on here?

It hit Cleopatra at that moment. She was always suspicious of Caesar, even from the beginning of her marriage to Maximus. But there was no one she was hesitant to trust than Cassius, the Shadow. Or as Maximus had learned during the siege of Rome, his real name was Oppius.

The Shadow, Umbra confirmed, shivering as he mentioned the spymaster's name.

Umbra had good reason to dislike him, as did Cleopatra. He had willingly left Cleopatra and Livia to die when they were overrun by the Huns during their assassination attempt on Attila. Umbra had told them of how callous the man had been, the very man who was Caesar’s most trusted official.

“You think he’s connected to Titus’s death?”

And Maximus’s.

“How so?”

Umbra seemed to blush, if horses could do that, before he spoke. Well, let’s just say I’ve been keeping a close eye on the royal reserves of wine and other tonics—

Cleopatra scoffed. “Maximus wasn’t joking. You truly are a drunk. And an addict.”

And you’re only proof that this was Caesar’s doing. Anyway, leading up to the colonization of America, I had noticed several toxins and ingredients disappearing in the middle of the night right in front of me. It was discrete, but they simply vanished. At first I thought it was the drugs. But then, taking a closer look, I saw they were all ingredients for poison. I believe the vaccine Maximus and his Romans took was altered by Caesar through the Shadow.

“And Titus?”

Well, when Caesar and I came in to recover the dead, I noticed the strangest thing. The top three men under Maximus who were supposedly near him the night he was murdered were all lying conveniently dead in the aftermath. Only, the natives couldn’t have killed them. They were shot with arrows from behind, when all of the natives were at the front.

Umbra didn’t have to say anything more for her to understand. Nor did she need anyone to explain to her why Julius Caesar would do such a thing to his “friend”. She had known plenty of men in her time as a prostitute who would destroy entire families of “friends” just to stay in power. Caesar was jealous and did not want to share power with Maximus. Better to stage an assassination.

Worser still, better to marry his wife for legitimacy.

Cleopatra really wanted to throw up. In fact, she did, right on Umbra’s feet.

Dear gods child! Umbra said, backing away in disgust. This is how you thank me?

“Forgive me,” she said, wiping the bile from her lips with her Cloak of Displacement. “It’s just a lot to process while pregnant.”

Her eyes lingered on the cloak for a second longer as Umbra continued to whine about the smell and how tireless he worked for them when an idea struck.

“If I can find evidence of wrongdoing, I can present it to the Senate. They will see through his lies and have him locked away where he belongs.”

A dangerous gamble. That’s if you can even find anything. Caesar is a careful man. This isn’t his first dictatorship afterall.

“I have to try,” she said, refusing to let any tears come their way now.

She had Umbra fly her over to small courtyard bordering Valerius’s room. The night was impenetrable in its darkness, so she didn’t fear being seen. She had the Pegasus wait atop the roof until she returned. Amazingly, Umbra hadn’t been recalled by Caesar yet.

Valerius hummed as he worked meticulously through the night. She had never seen him not working. She wondered if he ever rested. Her Cloak of Displacement would give her exactly ten seconds of invisibility and wouldn’t be usable for another hour. She would have to be wise when she should use it.

Cleopatra watched the alchemist for almost an hour, trying to find anything in the room she could snatch for proof. Valerius seemed to be making an orange potion of some sorts. He would pour sample after sample on a bound rat before tossing the rat into a nearby fireplace. He would then jot down notes as he watched the rats burn to death.

Cleopatra almost threw up again at the sight.

Despite the disgusting work, Valerius continued to return to a parchment paper on one of his lab tables, muttering darkly to himself.

“Impossible,” he repeated. “It’s never been done. I swear they both abuse me.”

That must be it. Her proof. It was impossible to know for sure, but she had to try. If she snuck through the open window now, Valerius was sure to hear her. She needed him to be distracted for a moment. Her eyes lingered on a green potion within arms reach.

Well, it’s worth a shot, she thought.

Cleopatra chucked the green potion at the other side of the room and dove in simultaneously, activating the invisibility. The potion shattered on the ground but didn’t do much more than make Valerius angry.

“What?” he said, flustered as he set down some of the ingredients in his hands to investigate.

Cleopatra’s heart beat like a drum in her chest as she snuck over to his table. Without reading it, she snatched the parchment paper he’d been reading and bolted for the window.

“Damned thing,” Valerius muttered to himself, completely unaware of Cleopatra clambering over the window seal.

Cleopatra giggled to herself as she broke away from Valerius’s room, becoming visible.

“I can’t believe I did it!” she whispered to herself. She motioned for Umbra to come down and pick her up.

What does it say? he said to her mind as they returned to the top of the palace, flying slowly to where her bedroom was.

Looking at the parchment paper, none of it made sense. It looked like a different Roman dialect that she was not familiar with. Or maybe it was coded? The symbols on it made her think it was the latter.

“I have no idea,” she said, disappointed. She was sure this had to be it.

Perhaps that old hag of yours, the librarian, could decipher it?

Cleopatra smacked the Pegasus with joy. “Yes! Thank you Umbra.”

They do call me the wisest of all steeds for a reason.

After Umbra set her down and returned to the skies, Cleopatra called upon Aelia the Librarian who kept a room closeby. She had become a mentor-like figure for her and Livia since moving in. Livia stirred when the older lady stumbled into their room.

“Could this not have waited?” she said, rubbing her messy long grey hair in irritation.

“No. Come here and whisper,” Cleopatra said, pulling her to the furthest corner of the room to avoid the Praetorian Guards listening outside. “I need you to translate this.”

Aeila grumbled as she accepted the parchment paper. Her muttering suddenly stopped when she finished.

“The man’s a fool,” she said, handing it back to Cleopatra. Livia looked at her with confusion.

“What did it say?” Livia said.

“Whoever wrote this to the mad scientist wants a potion to make one immune to lava. And not just temporarily, but long enough to swim in. Whoever tries this will surely die.”

“Lava?” Livia said.

“Why in the world would Caesar want a lava-resistance potion?” Cleopatra said, totally confused by what this all meant.

“Because he wants to retrieve the Orb of Morpheus,” a young male voice suddenly said behind them, causing them all to jump.

The three ladies, startled, turned to look at Sporus of all people, lingering in the shadows of the room. He stepped forward into the candle light, his clean shaven face and dark curly hair illuminating. “Caesar knows where Maximus hid the Orb. Now, he intends to retrieve it. We are all damned if we do not stop him.”