"Rome yields to none in observance of divine law," announced Lentulus Niger. "These dignitaries are under Rome's protection for the duration of their visit among us. What shall become of them after their return to their city shall be the subject of these negotiations."
"Socrates, son of Archilochus," Norbanus said, addressing the leader of the council, "you have heard already the terms laid down by me: surrender of your city to me, or utter extermination. How have you decided?"
It escaped no one that Norbanus laid down terms and demanded surrender in his own name, not in that of Rome.
Socrates came forward. He was a white-bearded, dignified man who had the look of one who had already accepted his own death. "Great General Norbanus, the ancient and independent city of Massilia is proud, but we Massiliotes understand overwhelming power when we see it. As once we yielded to Carthage, paying tribute and sending our young men to serve in her armies, so we must now bow our necks to Rome. Your army invests our walls and your navy occupies our harbor. Only fools could ignore this, and we are not fools. I know that it is customary for a conqueror to execute the leading men of a surrendered city and to take hostages of the wealthiest houses to ensure loyalty. We ask only that you spare our city and our people."
"You have chosen wisely," Norbanus told the old man. "And I am perfectly within my rights to kill you all, and to sack your town and leave the bulk of the population with nothing but their lives." He paused as if in deep thought. "However, it is also within my power to grant clemency, and in this case, since there has been no fighting and no Roman lives have been lost, I choose to be clement. The lives, houses and treasures of Massilia shall not be harmed. Your young men will now serve with my army and your harbor will shelter my fleet."
Socrates and the rest of the councillors looked stunned. "This is most generous."
"I am generous and just. But you must swear an oath."
"That of course is understood."
"You will swear eternal friendship with Rome. And you will swear yourselves, your city and your descendants to be my clients, and the clients of my family and descendants. You are familiar with the Roman system of clientage?"
"It is similar to that observed by many civilized peoples, is it not? As your clients we vow to support and aid you in all your endeavors. You become our protector in all our dealings with Rome. Massilia and the House of Norbanus will henceforth enjoy a special relationship, beyond that which we will have with Rome."
"That is the case. How do you choose?"
Socrates looked toward his peers, and one by one, in order of rank, they nodded. He turned to Norbanus and bowed. "Most merciful general, let the sacrifices be made. Upon our altars and upon yours, we will take your oath, to bind us everlastingly in the eyes of the gods."
That evening, while a great feast was prepared to celebrate the new relationship between Massilia, Rome and the glorious Titus Norbanus, the two Greeks met with Roxana and Glaphyra. They spoke in the open, within plain view of all, so that the proprieties should be observed. A space of ground near the general's tent had been carpeted and set with chairs and with a broad table to hold the charts and instruments of the women's craft. Slaves stood discreetly by to attend to their needs.
To the cosmopolitan eyes of the Greeks, the women were not particularly exotic. In deference to their master they had adopted Roman dress, which for women was about as modest as their native Judean. They wore far heavier cosmetics than any respectable Roman woman would, but nothing out of the ordinary by Alexandrian standards. But they were twins, always a strange circumstance, and they had a singular attitude that put both men ill at ease. They were like one creature with two bodies, and that creature was not quite human. Something about their speech and movements was not quite right, and both men wondered whether this might be the result of nature or of calculation.
The women told them of the zodiac, and of the nature of birth signs and of the calculation of fortunes therefrom. They learned of the influence of the planets and of the significance of kometes, those "bearded stars" that appeared in the heavens from time to time, marking the advent of momentous events, the death of kings and the coming of great conquerors. Some of this they already knew, for astrologers abounded in Egypt and in other lands as well, but these women truly seemed to possess a far deeper knowledge of the subject than others and claimed access to certain Babylonian texts long thought to be lost.
The men in their turn entertained them with tales of the lands they had visited, of the wonders they had seen, of volcanoes and whales and lands where frankincense was traded by the shipload, where feathers of the giant rukh came in bales, and chests filled with the aphrodisiac horn of the unicorn. Slowly, they steered the conversation toward their city of residence.