Camillus crossed his arms. “Take her to the edge, Marcus. You’ll be absolved of murder. You act for the State.”
Aemilius placed his hand on his son’s shoulder. “This is for the honor of our family. Justice is required.”
Artile said nothing, too busy studying the sky. The clouds were darkening as though sympathetic to Caecilia’s plight. They hovered blackest over the Senate House.
Marcus clasped her arm. “Come, Cilla.”
Again, the soft diminutive. “Why didn’t you tell me last night you were to be my killer?”
He glanced over his shoulder, checking he was out of earshot. “I didn’t have the courage. But I’ll make up for it now. I’m not going to let you become a ghost. You will join the Good Ones, Cilla. I’ll ensure your body is bathed and shrouded. I’ll cremate you. Say funeral rites. Your ashes will be kept in secret. And I’ll give libation to you every year. No one will ever know.”
Her knees buckled. He steadied her. “How? They’ll throw my corpse on the Esquiline to rot. You’ll be punished if caught.”
He grimaced. “Bribery. Penniless cemetery workers can be paid off. I’m determined despite the consequences.”
She clung to him, grateful. “Thank you. But why?”
“Why? Because I love you, Cilla. As does Tarchon. He bid me tell you that. It seems you have been surrounded by love for a long time now. I see now why you chose Veii.”
Caecilia sighed in relief. She hadn’t angered Nortia after all. She now understood the reason the goddess brought her back to Vel. For without defying Fortuna, she would never have found love. Never borne her children. And never been given the chance to live with them forever.
Camillus shouted. “Marcus Aemilius! Do it!”
Her heartbeat quickened. Marcus clasped her arm, his hand trembling. “I’m sorry I am the one to push you.”
A flicker of light caught her attention as a single streak of lightning exploded on the Curia’s roof. A thunderclap boomed. Tiles shattered and were sent flying.
Caecilia glanced back. Camillus was transfixed on the blackened furrow in the Senate House. Artile’s face was ashen. Only one god in Rome had the power to throw a lightning bolt—Jupiter—Tinia. Had Antar delivered Vel’s message?
Screaming erupted as people huddled together. Lightning meant one of two things: that a travesty had been righted or disaster would strike. Caecilia hoped it was a sign of both. There would be retribution for the devastation of Veii. And one day Rome might be conquered.
She was calm now. “Let me go, Marcus. I’ll do this without you.” She squeezed his fingers. “I love you also. I’m glad we are no longer enemies.”
He was shaking. “Farewell, Cilla. I will not fail you.” Then he released her and stepped back.
The precipice loomed only feet away. Her legs were unsteady, her pulse too fast. She thought of Tas and sweet Larce and Arnth, hoping they would be warriors, or old men, when she met them again in the Beyond. She also welcomed the thought of seeing Thia and how many grandchildren she had borne.
She closed her eyes, fearful if she looked down she would falter. Then she pushed off on one heel. She could not tarry. Vel would be waiting.
GLOSSARY
Acheron: In Greek mythology, the river of sorrow in the Underworld; in Etruscan religion, the Afterworld or the Beyond, a place to which the dead journeyed over land and sea.
Auspices: A religious ceremony where omens were interpreted by watching the flight of birds.
Bondsman: A debtor who forfeited his liberty to his creditor to satisfy his debts. He was enslaved until he paid back what he owed.
Bucchero: A type of glossy black pottery developed by the Etruscans.
Bulla: An amulet of gold or leather worn by both Etruscans and Romans to ward off evil spirits.
Cista: A small casket, usually cylindrical in shape, used for keeping cosmetics, perfumes, or jewelry.
Comitium: The open-air area in Rome where the plebeian and tribal assemblies met.
Consular General: A military tribune with consular powers or consular tribune. For many years in the early Roman Republic, military tribunes were elected instead of consuls because generals were needed on so many war fronts.
Cuirass/Corselet: Body armor consisting of a breastplate and backplate made from metal, leather, or stiffened linen.
Decurion: One of three knights who led ten men in a turma. The head decurion commanded the turma with the other two decurions acting as his deputies.
Defixio: A lead sheet upon which the gods were invoked to either curse or enchant a person.
Fascinum: A phallic-shaped amulet worn around the neck.
Fillet: Bands of wool that a Roman matron would plait into her hair.
Fulgurator: An Etruscan priest skilled in interpreting the will of the gods through analysis of different types of lightning and thunder.
Haruspex: An Etruscan priest skilled in the art of haruspicy, i.e., dissecting a sacrificial animal’s liver for the purpose of divination.
Hatrencu: A title generally associated with Etruscan women holding sacred office. The high status afforded to them suggests they held a traditionally more masculine role in society at large.
Hoplite: A citizen soldier in the heavy infantry who fought in a phalanx formation and was recognizable by his round “hoplon” shield. This is a Greek word but is applied to the Roman and Etruscan soldiers to associate them with this type of warfare. The word “legionary” was not employed until after the Marian reforms to the Roman army.
Juno, a: A divine essence that acted as a protecting spirit or the “guardian angel” of a woman. It could be represented in effigy or by cameo. Men called such a spirit their “genius.”
Lar/Lares: A Roman guardian spirit that protected localities. A Lar was most commonly associated as being a household god that protected a Roman home.
Levis/Leves: Skirmishers in the army of the early Republic who were only armed with small, round shields and spears.
Lictor: In Rome, one of twelve civil servants who protected the kings, and later those magistrates holding imperium (supreme authority). They carried a bundle of rods called the fasces, the symbol of power and authority. The tradition of the lictor and fasces was believed to derive from the Etruscan kings.
Maenad: A female worshipper who appeared in the retinue of the god Dionysus (Greek), Bacchus (Roman), and Fufluns (Etruscan) alongside satyrs.
Military Tribune: A Tribune of the Soldiers was a young man who aspired to become a senator. He was chosen at the time of the annual magistracy elections and assigned to lead a part of a legion under superior commanders.
People’s Tribune/s (Tribune of the Plebs): Ten officials elected to protect the rights of plebeians as they held the power to veto elections, decrees of the Senate, and actions of magistrates.
Phalanx: An infantry battle formation in which three rows of soldiers held overlapping shields and long spears. The phalanx formation was originally developed by the Greeks, copied by the Etruscans, and then adopted by the Romans.