Power(26)

The summer heat had made its way into the city and the buildings seemed to take in the warmth around him. Marius kept walking, almost furtively looking at the Curia, where the Senate met. It was the place of power; he could feel it. Not as powerfully as the aura from the Emperor’s residence on Palatine Hill, but it was still palpable.

Marius stopped in the middle of the Forum, edging toward one of the massive marble columns. He glanced up at the statuary above and it glowered down at him. Marius felt a subtle chill in the hot, dry air. He felt that—and something else.

It was a subtle sensation, the feeling of scrutiny upon him. He knew it well, the sense that someone was watching him, taking in his motions and movements, keeping an eye upon him. It had been a constant at home, whether herding the animals under the eye of the old man or in town in the square, the sensation of eyes following his every move. Waiting for him to expose his madness or harm someone.

And here it was again.

He felt a surge of agitation deep within himself. A journey of weeks to come this far, and he still felt eyes upon him, watching his movement. He made a slow turn, trying to narrow down from whence the scrutiny came. He cast his glance through the arches of the Curia, past the Arch of Septimius Severus, where men in white robes conversed loudly, and finally around to the Temple of Saturn. Someone was lurking within the columns, not bothering to hide their presence.

Marius glanced at them furtively. There were two of them; a man and a woman, both stately in their way, lingering between the columns and looking at him. The white marble shone in the summer sun, causing Marius to squint as he stared back at them. They watched him unapologetically, not even bothering to hide. They seemed to be talking, though they were still at such a distance that he could not hear them speaking to one another.

The man started toward him, slowly. He held his hands out and open, as if to show that he meant no harm. Marius considered running; he was faster than anyone else he had met, and if he put his mind to it, he was certain he could outrun them both.

The woman followed behind the man a few paces, and he caught a hint of sourness on her face. She was striking and regal, though she still looked very young. Her dark hair was bound up at the back of her head, and her robes covered her adequately while revealing a full figure that Marius found … alluring.

The man was closing the distance between them now, and Marius felt a strange calm settle over him. He tried to resist, to remain alert and keep the option to run, but he felt it lull away. They approach open handed, to show me good intentions. Perhaps they are friends …

He felt a bolt of alarm shatter the sense of peace that had fallen upon him. I have no friends.

He felt the twitch of his muscles, his legs cry out to flee with all speed, but he kept a hand anchored to the column and let his fingers drift over the porous stone, as if he could take some strength from it. The man drifted to a stop only a few feet away—out of arm’s reach, Marius noticed. The woman stopped a few steps behind him, the lines that shaped her face moving it into an expression of impatience.

“Greetings,” the man said. “Welcome to Rome.”

“Thank you,” Marius said. He could still feel the call of his body, urging him to run. Why would I stay to talk to a stranger? This is madness.

“You only just arrived, is that correct?” The man’s voice had a strange accent, a curious lilt that was a little different than what Marius had heard from the Romans he’d listened to since arriving.

“Yes,” Marius said. How did this man know that he’d only just arrived?

“I mean you no harm,” the man said. “My name is Janus, and this is my sister, Diana.”

Marius kept him under close watch as he spoke. He did not reply immediately; he felt almost fearful of giving away his name. But why? It was not as though this Janus could do anything with a mere name. “I am called … Marius.”

“It is a very great pleasure to meet you, Marius,” Janus said. His beard was thick and full and dark, not a hint of grey in it. His skin was tanned almost to the point of glowing, and as Marius looked at him he saw a sparkle in the man’s eyes that spoke of a good humor that Marius had never seen directed at him before. “I sense that you are in the midst of a very difficult transition, having come to Rome for the first time. I take it you are having some difficulty finding your place here?”

“I am not certain I have a place here—or anywhere,” Marius said with a little wariness. The woman—Diana—had yet to say a thing to him. Was that cause for suspicion?

“Many have felt just the same,” Janus said with a nod. He turned toward Diana as he spoke. “Is this not true, sister mine?”