Praetorian Series [4] All Roads Lead to Rome (24 page)

She smiled and lifted her eyebrows.  “Anything, Jacob?’

I shook my head, and she looked slightly disappointed at my negative gesture but no less determined.  She returned her attention back to the streets ahead of her, leaving me once again alone, so I shoved my hands back into my pocket and continued on my way.  Now that we were in the heart of the Forum, with so much culture, commerce, and government on display all around me, I couldn’t help but look around.  I’d spent months in Rome once before, so none of this really interested me anymore, but if I could no longer take any childlike enjoyment at the idea of being in the Roman Empire, maybe I could at least remember why I’d always been so interested in the city to begin with.

But nothing popped out at me as I scanned my surroundings, little seemed interesting, and I remained clueless.  Taller than each and every one of the Roman Praetorians, I had no trouble seeing over them, but nothing caught my eye.  A group of what could have been actual Roman Senators were grouped around each other, standing on the steps of some temple I couldn’t immediately identify, possibly discussing recent legislative proceedings or perhaps conniving against Agrippina.  She hadn’t been present in Rome for over a year, which wasn’t exactly unprecedented, but it was entirely possible that recalcitrant members of Rome’s ruling elite had long since determined it was time for a change in leadership.

In fact, I wasn’t even certain she’d told the Senate she had returned yet, and it wasn’t like a cursory inspection of our group of Praetorians would reveal her to the world, tightly packed around us as they were.  Praetorian patrols were probably a common thing within the city, and few civilians spared a second glance at us.  Picking out the tiny form of Agrippina from within a group of them would have been difficult, and while I certainly stood out, I was just one man within a whole group of them.

A few dozen meters away from the group of senators, across the wide roadway that separated them, I caught sight of a Roman orator: a man who fulfilled the role of the entire internet back home.  In Ancient Rome, an orator
was
the news.  He would stand atop an elevated platform, papyrus in hand, and spend his day bellowing the world’s “current” events for all those willing to gather and listen.  A number of topics were always on the menu, including updates on how one war or another was faring, whether there was any recent legislation passed, if any notable Roman had died recently, or what was new in the realm of Roman high fashion for the week.  An orator was Rome’s only qualified journalist and hack blogger, both, and while there were numerous men who held the post, they weren’t ubiquitous and news traveled very slowly in antiquity.

One such orator was espousing the midday news now, going on about Agrippina, in fact, and how Rome’s beloved empress was bound to return to Rome with news of great tidings for all, and that she would soon lead the city into a new age of prosperity.  He went on to describe Agrippina herself with a string of accolades, fancy titles, and accomplishments, and I found myself wondering who exactly wrote the news for this guy to read.

Probably Agrippina.

But the crowd wasn’t exactly eating it up.  Most of them probably had family members who had been conscripted to fight in her legions, called up with little prompting or explanation when she’d decided to bulk up her army for the war in Germany.  Those men today were fighting all across the empire, putting down one brush fire or another, with no end in sight, and the local mob wasn’t quite ready to sing Agrippina’s praises, despite all she’d done to revitalize the city.

And then, like a scene from a movie set in the medieval age, streaking across the sky was a piece of fruit or vegetable that struck the orator clean between the eyes.  The fat, jolly old man dropped to his rump in a landslide of fat and flab, causing the gathered populace to laugh and jeer at him.  Flanking the downed orator were a pair of guards wielding large cudgels.  He glared up at them, but even they laughed at him and didn’t at all seem interested in protecting him should the mob decide he had earned a forced and early retirement.

I turned away from the scene, but then a commotion to my left diverted my attention again.  I looked and saw a piece of fruit or vegetable flying through the air before it struck the orator clean between the eyes.  The fat, jolly old man fell to the ground, causing the gathered populace to laugh and mock at him.

I turned away from the scene, amazed at the hilarity of it, but while I wanted to laugh, I simply couldn’t.  I no longer had the ability, and I knew it because I couldn’t even find it in myself to cackle at a man getting pegged in the face by a piece of fruit.  Whether it was because I was insane or simply too focused to find humor in anything anymore, I understood that a piece of what had made me who I was, was gone. 

The Jacob Hunter I had once been was dead.

And with his death came the realization that his home was lost to him as well.  I knew I should have been saddened by this epiphany, but I wasn’t.  I was content.  I knew what I wanted to do with my life now, and it had nothing to do with the twenty first century.

I looked up and noticed Agrippina was already looking at me, perhaps wondering why I had stopped.  I stepped up to her and placed my hands on her arms.  “I’ve made my decision.  Whether we find the red orb or not, I’m staying right here.  I’ll help you make your empire great.”

She smiled and lunged in to hug me, but it was brief and curt, and she pulled back so that I could see how happy she was.  “That is wonderful news, Jacob!  But do not give up hope yet.  We still have a portion of the
pomerium
remaining.”

I shook my head.  “It’s not going to happen, Agrippina.  We’ve already covered ninety percent of it.  What makes you think we’ll find anything in the last ten?”

She poked a finger against my chest.  “Because I believe in
you
, Jacob.  You are destined for great things, we both know that.  This was just a cursory inspection of the
pomerium
.  It is still early in the day.  We have plenty of time for a more extensive search.”  Her smile grew again, and she stepped up on her toes to kiss me, which was sweet and wonderful.  She pulled away slowly and smiled up at me.  “We have all the time in the world now, and in it, we’ll do such great things.  Together.”

***

Fate had bitch slapped me far too many times as of late, and I was getting sick of it.

We were just about finished with another rotation around the Palatine Hill, again with no results, each step like an enormous slap to the face.  One way or another, I would take control of my life today.  I’ll give Agrippina a few more rotations around the
pomerium
, but I wasn’t about to grow obsessed over the red orb like I once had the blue one.  If I couldn’t find it, then I would simply learn to live without it.

My cadre of companions were again approaching the
Forum Romanum
, enticing an odd sense to infiltrate my mind as we approached it.  The feeling wasn’t specific, just a tingling of familiarity, so I chalked it up to the fact that we’d been here earlier, and that I’d been here a number of times in the past.  Agrippina, however, seemed more agitated.  She glanced around distractedly, her eyes and head jerking every which was nervously.

“What’s wrong?”  I demanded, stepping up beside her and grabbing her arm.

She snapped her head around and locked eyes with me, and calmed almost immediately.  She sighed, placed her free hand against her chest and squinted her eyes for a moment as though clearing her head.  Finally, she looked up at me and smiled.

“Nothing is wrong, Jacob,” she reported.  “Perhaps a slight bout of excitement, I am not sure.  Tell me, do you feel anything now?”

I analyzed her face, hoping for some clue into the reality behind her demeanor, but found none, so I looked away and decided to be honest.  “I may have felt something a moment ago.  Some kind of familiarity, but it’s gone now.”

“Perhaps that is good,” Agrippina suggested.  “The
Forum Romanum
is so steeped in history that it is a likely location for such a momentous event as Romulus and Remus’ argument.”

I shrugged.  “Seems like a stretch, but maybe.”

She smiled.  “Maybe indeed.  Come, let us explore the area more thoroughly.”

I nodded and let her pull me along after her as she veered the two of us and our escorts off to the left and deeper into the forum, pulling us off the original
pomerium
route.  We reentered the opulent forum, where I found the body of the dead Roman who had attacked us earlier still lying on the ground, forgotten and abandoned, as well as the orator’s platform empty.  He must have been done for the day, or at least the hour, and had gone home to rest and recuperate from his embarrassing ordeal.

I wondered if he’d quit or if he’d have the dignity to return.

In any case, these memories were left far and behind as I returned my attention to the world in front of me.  I allowed a faint thought to drift toward Boudicca, as I wondered if she was following her instructions.  I hadn’t yet seen her in the crowd, which seemed easy to do considering her appearance, but she was a skilled woman.  If she was out here, it was quite possible I’d never find her if she didn’t want to be found, but I assumed she’d reveal herself if and when I found the orb, just as we’d discussed in the bathhouse.

We continued to walk, passing buildings and road intersections by the handful, my mind clearly not as focused on my given task as it should be.  I looked up, noticing that we’d reentered the opulent forum, where much of Rome gathered as a part of daily life, going about their business to and fro.  I glanced down and noticed the dead body of the man who had attacked us earlier.  It was still lying on the ground, forgotten…

I stopped and cocked my head to the side as I stared at it, thinking that we’d just passed this guy’s dead body a second ago.  I glanced up at Agrippina who was staring at me intently.  I pointed at the body.  “Didn’t we just pass him a second ago?”

She shook her head, although while I couldn’t place her expression, it didn’t seem neutral.  “Only upon our last visit.  We have only just arrived Jacob.”

“We did?”  I asked myself,

“Come, Jacob,” Agrippina suggested.  “There is still much to explore.”

I nodded, slightly shaken, as I was suddenly reminded that repetitious events like this had happened before recently, although I couldn’t remember where or when.  I shook my head and fell into step with Agrippina again, trying to ignore the body and focus on searching for more clues.  But I found my mind drifting again, wondering if Boudicca was following as I’d instructed her to do.  So far, I hadn’t yet seen her, which seemed an easy thing…

I had to remind myself that I’d already thought about that.

Hadn’t I?

I hadn’t a clue anymore, but I didn’t have much time to think about it as we reentered the opulent forum where so much of Roman life and commerce was centered.  I watched as citizens and residents of Rome milled about, acting much like anyone in any society did on a quiet, peaceful, weekday afternoon.  It was a tranquil sight, one that was so distracting that I barely noticed the body on the ground in front of me.  Unfortunately, I was only able to notice it after I had tripped over one of its legs, sending me tumbling to the ground.

I fell in a heap, although if there was a silver lining to the pain that shot up my left elbow, it was that I hadn’t landed upon the dead body but next to it.  As I hit, my shoulder bag came loose and fell to my side, causing the blue orb to roll free.  My eyes widened as it attempted to escape, and I threw out an arm to catch it, but I came up just short.  Although if there was a silver lining to the pain that shot up my left elbow, it was that I hadn’t landed upon the dead body, but next to it.  As I hit, my shoulder bag came loose and fell to my side, causing the blue orb to roll free.  My eyes widened as it attempted to escape, and I threw out an arm to catch it, but as I hit, my shoulder bag came loose and fell to my side, causing the blue orb to roll free.  My eyes widened as it attempted to escape, and I threw out an arm to catch it, but my eyes widened as it attempted to escape, and I threw out an arm to catch it, but…

My mind couldn’t comprehend the repetitious nature of what was happening at first.  My consciousness was stuck in a loop, unaware that the same events were occurring over and over, not realizing that each moment had already happened and happened and happened and…  It could have been going on for millennia for millennia as far as I knew.  I had no way of understanding the passage of time of time as the sequence of trips, falls, trips, falls, stumbles, and unsuccessful snatch grabs for the orb continued, continued, continue…

All that keyed my mind into the endless loop at all was the orb, its presence in my vision acting as a kernel of awareness that somehow gave me hope that one day, one week, one month, one year, I’d successfully reach the orb and take it.  Once I did, everything would return to normal and normal again, but such a concept seemed impossible as the sequence seemed to speed up, repeating faster and faster, always out of reach, never in my grasp, one fingertip too far…

My eyes widened as it attempted to escape, and I threw out an arm to catch it, but my eyes widened as it attempted to escape, and I threw out an arm to catch it, but my eyes widened as I threw out an arm to catch…