Chapter 18

From the air, the wedding celebrants flowed like a river of light to the Gallicus estate - thousands of headlights streaming north and east from the Temple of Vesta, curving around the Stagnum Colonus and flooding into the lowlands, a flat and narrow strip of land between the lagoon and mountains that had once marked the city's northern border. That river of light flowed over and around the few unsuspecting cars seemingly out for a liesurely Saturday evening drive, overwhelming them like a storm surge. In places the river became turgid and sluggish, but still more cars seemed to come from every part of the city, swelling the river as it curved south and east around the mountains and hills Rio was built on, reinforcing the shape of the city.

All the way east, the cars flowed towards the Promontory district and Gaius's estate. In places they seemed to be keeping pace with the helicopter carrying Corvus, his parents, and Crispa to the wedding reception. In others, they seemed to be standing still with only little streams trickling between the bottlenecks and checkpoints, eventually leading into the biggest bottleneck of all, the security gate controlling access to the Sugarloaf district and the steep single-lane road climbing up and up to the ancestral home of the Galicii. Some people would be in traffic for hours, but still they came.

Corvus had never seen Rio from the air. He'd never flown anywhere. He hadn't known he was going to fly anywhere today until his father, moments before leaving for the reception, had leaned in and said, "We can't be the last ones to the party. I've got a helicopter waiting not far from here. The limo knows the way."

It must have been planned well in advance, but Gaius and Lucretia had decided to wait until the last minute to tell him, probably thinking Corvus might try to balk if given too much notice. He might have too, but today, after that first sensation of rising and rising with nothing underneath him, he'd settled in and enjoyed it. If he was going to die, he was going to die and it would be a pretty good joke on their enemies if they were all killed on the way to their wedding reception before anyone could lay a hand on them.

They didn't die. In strict contravention of Corvus's understanding of physics, the ride was smooth and even. They tracked the mountain road for a while before veering off and heading straight for the estate grounds. Corvus spotted massive parking lots cut in the jungle, something he'd never suspected existed before. The river of cars spilled into them, headlights winking out as they arrived. North and east of that, the road to Gaius's house showed a steady stream of busses shuttling back and forth between the parking lots and the house. Corvus laughed at the sight. The high and mighty of New Rome might well have never seen the inside of a bus before, but they were climbing aboard in droves to pay tribute to Gaius and Lucretia Gallicus.

As the helicopter made its final approach, the Panis Saccharum loomed larger and larger in the windscreen, its ancient lighthouse still a beacon for planes and ships that approached the city from the sea, its light visible twenty or more miles out so that, even without instruments, they could find their way home.

Below them, the grounds of the Gallicus estate spread across the narrow isthmus, glowing with thousands of lights that ran from the north garden to the south garden, gleaming brightest from inside the house. Other lights hung suspended in the crepuscular dusk, showing parts of the arboretum and the guest houses. To the east, the vegetable gardens, the stables, and other, more prosaic buildings were dark as they descended onto a low, flat lawn.

"It's a fortress." Corvus said out loud, surprised.

He knew he couldn't be heard over the rotors or through the protective headphones, but Gaius must have read his lips because he grinned and nodded and when they emerged, he said, "This estate is built on the footprint of the Arx Terminus. In most places, the new walls stand only a few yards outside the old ones."

"Why is it called the last fortress? I thought Rio had never been invaded." Corvus smirked. "At least, that's what we learned in school - Rio semper intacta."

Gaius nodded. "When the first settlement was built at Rio, it sat between the Stagnum Colonus and Bay-of-Rio. The land there was better, less sandy. But this position was much more defensible. The Oracle-King convinced the settlers to build a redoubt here, saying he had visions of massive armies of Injos sweeping in from the north. When they came, united under the Hebrews, they never made it past the mountains, so the Arx Terminus was never needed."

Crispa gave a faint smirk. "It was used in anger once. My father mentioned the story once or twice a week, I think."

Gaius chuckled. "Well, yes. But I wasn't going to bring that up in present company. After the death of Caesar Dento, the Galicii withdrew to the Arx Terminus and bombarded their enemies from the heights until a truce could be brokered."

"And those enemies were the Iunii, my people." Crispa laughed. "Very inconsiderate of you Galicii."

"And not as effective as we might have hoped," acknowledged Gaius. "The Iunii took the purple and the Galicii spent the next hundred fifty years managing their wars for them. We fared better than most, though. Five families vied for the purple and three of them were broken utterly."

"Maybe the Galicii won that one after all," Crispa pointed out. "They certainly seem to have had better job security."

"Uneasy is the head that wears the laurel wreath, but Rome will always need soldiers." Gaius acknowledged. Turning to Corvus, he added, "I do hope you'll consider directing at least one of your children to the War College. I would hate for the Arx Terminus to become just another mansion looking down on the capital."

"Isn't it already?" Corvus asked. "As we just demonstrated, it would be pretty easy to just fly in with helicopters or bomb it from above..." They were close enough to the house and gardens to hear the strains of music, a reminder that this moment of relative quiet was likely to be the last one they all had together for the rest of the night.

Gaius nodded. "Yes. Of course. Against an enemy with air superiority and the willingness to use it, aboveground fortifications are pretty useless."

Straightforward music heavy on percussions emanated from the north gardens, almost completely overwhelming the subtler, more complex melody emanating from the south. The two had so little in common that Corvus turned to Lucretia. "Two parties?"

"More than two." Lucretia, still beaming, indicated the trees on both sides of the road they walked along. "The arboretum is open as are the the main wing and guest wings of the house. Half of Rio is here. Hopefully, everyone will be able to find something to their taste tonight. We want only the fondest memories."

Corvus looked over at the paths of the arboretum. They were much less well-lit than the road or the formal gardens. He narrowly avoided making a snarky comment about people bringing home memories of twisted ankles before it occurred to him what their purpose was tonight. As quickly as he was gaining experiences as a man, he knew he could still be hopelessly naive about some things. He kept his mouth shut.

Still, as they approached and entered the house, Corvus noticed how many slaves he'd never seen before were working tonight - mostly girls, mostly young and pretty. When he spotted his second free hetaera playing hostess, he kissed Lucretia on the cheek. "What sort of party are we throwing here tonight?"

Lucretia kissed him on one cheek and patted the other. "The very best party we can - one we want people to remember fondly a decade from now when some of them will certainly have cause to hate us. There's a lot of energy flowing through people right now and if you don't give it an outlet, it will find one. The arboretum is open so we don't have a bacchanalia in the bougainvillea."

Tullus approached as they entered the main hall. By the way he was blushing, he'd probably caught Lucretia's last comment. Still, he was grinning from burning ear to burning ear. He shook Corvus's hand. "Congratulations. You handled your elevation ceremony with grace and poise. Not everyone does."

"I might have slipped up a little towards the end," Corvus admitted.

"Most do far worse," Tullus insisted. He kissed Crispa on the cheek. "And you're looking lovely as always."

"Tullus, I haven't seen you since the Butterfly Club." Crispa's eyes twinkled. "How was Germanica?"

"A bit rough for my tastes, but a very sweet girl," said Tullus. "Corvus, I spoke to one of my bosses at the wedding about your speech."

Corvus smacked his own forehead. "My speech. I almost completely forgot. But, before we talk business, may I present my parents? General Gallicus, Lucretia, this is Tullus Ovidius, an officer with the Plebeian Affairs Ministry and a personal friend. Tullus, my mother Lucretia Octavius Tullius Gallicus and my father General Gaius Gallicus, the rescuer of our cousins in Old Rome."

Gaius allowed a small smile and nod in Corvus's direction at the modification of his official designation from "conqueror" to "rescuer" in accordance with the proconsul's speech. Lucretia smiled and accepted a kiss on the cheek as Tullus said, "It's an honor to meet you both. New Rome has so few real heroes these days."

"It's lovely to meet you as well, Tullus." said Lucretia graciously. "What did your bosses say about Corvus's speech?"

Corvus knew she was fishing. Lucretia didn't know he'd used the opportunity of what was normally a puff-piece interview to fire his first shot across the bow of New Roman politics. He'd hoped she and Gallicus would be too busy to hear about it before they left for their honeymoon and it would be a done deal by the time they got back.

Tullus, not knowing any of this said, "Corvus just asked me to tell him who he would need to trade favors with in order to get his post-elevation interview on the air in its entirety, but it turns out that he won't need to trade any favors at all. Laternsis Hirtius himself has said the interview should be marked with a senatorial seal, which means the censors won't touch it."

"Shit," muttered Corvus. "Who's Laternsis Hirtius?"

"The head of NAMOC - the News and Media Oversight Commit. He has final say on what goes out and what doesn't." Tullus said.

Corvus looked at his mother. Lucretia smiled, "A good man to owe a favor to."

"Very much so." Corvus took Crispa's hand. "I have to call his office and ask him to clear the interview as a personal favor. Where can I meet you?"

"The north gardens. I'll try to stay close to the house. Will you be long?" Crispa asked.

"No. I'm sure he's at the party somewhere. I'll leave a message at his office and be right down. I just need to do it before he knows I know it's already cleared."

"But ... he's already approved it..." Tullus said to Corvus's back as the future senator headed upstairs to his rooms at a trot. When he got to his antechamber, Datura was sitting at the reception desk.

"I thought I gave you the day off," Crispus frowned.

"I didn't need the whole day," said Datura evenly. "With so much going on, I thought I could help here."

Corvus nodded. "All right. Find the number for Laternsis Hirtius, the head of NAMOC and call his office for me, please."

Datura turned to the computer, looking uncertain. Clover emerged from the back rooms. "How may I serve?"

"Corvus needs me to look up a phone number and call it for him." Datura looked at the computer, fingers over the keyboard. "I know you showed me how, but..."

Clover smiled and came over to stand behind her, looking at the screen. "It's in sleep mode. Just tap the spacebar when it goes dark like that."

Datura smiled up at her. "Thank you."

Clover laid what might be a friendly hand on Datura's shoulder. "Armand came by earlier and asked for every girl you could spare to work at the party. I sent Rose, Nerida, and Perry. I know you've preferred I not serve under such circumstances and I wasn't sure if you felt the same way about Datura, so I kept us here along with Lily."

"I thought I gave Perry the day off too," Corvus said.

"My mother was eager to serve at the party," said Datura. "It was kind of you to send her to be there when I woke this morning, but she might never have forgiven me if I hadn't let her return to work for this."

"All service is a gift," said Clover firmly. "If Corvus told her to stay with you for the day, she should have stayed."

"You did perfectly, Clover." Corvus kissed her on the cheek. "Would you excuse me for a minute, please? I'd like to talk to Datura for a minute."

Clover nodded, smiled, and stepped into the back room. Corvus leaned on the edge of the desk and said to his former classmate. "You could have stayed at the guest house all day if you wanted. There was no rush."

Datura looked up at him, one hand on the phone. "Thank you, but I was well enough to return to my duties and Perry eager to return to some of hers."

"How are you?" Corvus knew it was dangerous to, but he asked anyway.

"Still sore. Paphian says it will fade in a few days, but it's not enough to keep me from working and I did want to do something. I haven't had a lot of duties since you told everyone I wasn't to do cooking or laundry. The slaves ... the other slaves haven't really known what to make of me." She smiled up at him. "I would ask to serve at the party with the others, but I am still rather sore."

Corvus shook his head. "I don't want that for you. I wouldn't have sent your mother either, but I can't blame Clover for doing so."

"My mother wanted to serve tonight," said Datura. "Waking up and finding her waiting for me was much better than waking to an empty house and I do thank you, but by the second hour, we'd had more than enough of each other. Even if we hadn't, she was eager to serve tonight. She's not certain how often she'll have such an opportunity and she didn't want to miss the chance."

"She ... does know what serving at the party likely entails. Doesn't she?" Corvus hedged.

Datura gave him an almost-patronizing smile. "Corvus, my mother has been having sex since before I was born. I'm pretty sure that's how I happened, actually. She may not have your mother's training, but she doesn't lack enthusiasm. She had lovers before my father's death and she's taken quickly enough to Malcolm's bed. She would come to yours eagerly, I imagine. Even if you don't find her attractive, many men do and I think she finds some consolation in that."

Corvus sighed. "You Vitellii women all seem eager to act the pimp for each other. Your mother wanted to make sure I'd keep bringing you to my bed."

"It's always been like that," said Datura. "And I hardly think it's only the Vitellii. Plebeian women are born to be wives and mothers and to make sure that their daughters get a chance to be the same."

Corvus crossed his arms. "Well, if it gives Perry some measure of happiness to serve in that way, I'll find what opportunities I can for her. But, I still don't want it for you. I've only just had you once and I don't share as well as I'm told I should. For now, you're just for me."

"Like Clover?" Datura smiled up at him. "I do like that."

Something about the look she gave him made Corvus want to squirm. He turned to look at the computer. "Is that Citizen Hirtius's number?"

When Corvus emerged into the north garden, he spotted Quad and Fusa immediately. The big centurion grinned and came over to shake his hand, Fusa in tow. "Nicely done, today."

Corvus shook his friend's hand. "Thank you. Have you seen Crispa?"

"She was dancing with Procula Gellius a few minutes ago," Quad indicated a direction with his head.

The notion raised a strange mixture of emotions in Corvus - a hint of jealousy that she'd gone immediately to seek out a former lover while he'd been inside, layered with pleasure that his putative mistress and one of his possible wives still seemed to be friends, and smothered in a blanket of desire as he considered what that might portend. He decided not to intrude. Instead, he said, "It's good to see you here in civilian clothes, both of you."

Fusa grinned and wrapped her arms around Quad's bicep. "It's nice to see each other outside of the office."

Corvus was surprised, but didn't comment. "Quad, that story Curva told about Gaius saving a pinned-down centurion from hundreds of god-crazed natives, that couldn't have been you. Could it? You didn't serve in Britannica."

Quad laughed and patted Corvus on the back. "I was five when the Treaty of Londinium was signed. That definitely wasn't me. I think the proconsul was sharing a little inside joke with the Legion there."

"How so?"

"The rule in Europe is that it's pretty safe to assume all the natives are god-crazed. It's sort of a punchline to call them that. The ones who swarmed me probably weren't even particularly religious. They were a bunch of teenagers, younger than you are now and practically pissing themselves when they charged. I held them off for a while just by pointing the jammed rifle at them like I was going to fire."

"Still, it must have been scary," offered Corvus.

"Terrifying - a hundred people trying to kill you is still a hundred people trying to kill you and fear will get you just as dead as faith."

"Sir." Corvus turned to see a young man approaching. He'd been acting as the bathroom attendant at the reception for Crispa's father, but was really a spy from the same agency that Alyse worked for. He leaned in and said quietly. "Sir, we have a small situation. Plautus Iunius is ... rather agitated and drunk. He's speaking a little too freely about things that might be best left private."

Corvus looked around for Crispa. He didn't see her and he wasn't sure if her presence would help or hinder under such circumstances. He excused himself from Quad and Fusa and said, "Take me to him."

Plautus saw Corvus before Corvus could reach him. The ambassador was sitting alone at a table by one of the bars set up in the guest wings, a glass of something potent-looking gripped in his hand and, by the looks of it, not the first of the evening. Standing behind him with her hands clenched together, waiting to serve, Tansy gave Corvus a worried look.

"Emperor Corvus Gallicus!" he called across the room, receiving a number of alarmed stares from other partygoers. "Fresh from his coronation on live television, come to walk among the little people."

Corvus slid in next to him at the table and said loudly enough to be heard by much of the room. "That is a poor jest, Ambassador. I can't possibly be corrupt enough to seek the purple before I've even joined politics properly. Most men require decades in the senate before they want to tear it down."

It was moderately tasteless to joke about people wanting to be emperor, but greatly preferrable to having anyone think it was being openly discussed. People looked away, each with their own mixture of relief and distaste.

"Not you, my friend," insisted Plautus. "You and your mother have enough ambition for a dozen emperors, I think."

At least he was speaking in conversational tones now. Corvus leaned in, "Ambassador, you've had too much to drink. Your words lack decorum."

"It doesn't matter. No one takes anything I say seriously," declared Plautus. "No one takes me seriously at all. They laugh and point at me as proof that the imperial lines have fallen into decline."

"Then give them no fresh cause to laugh tonight," Corvus warned him. "You should get some rest, Plautus."

"She could have named me, you know," said Plautus. "She was rewriting history. She made your mother a hero. She named a bunch of filthy, lice-ridden savages our cousins. She could just as easily have recast me in some nobler mien."

"The proconsul?"

"My mother!" Plautus pounded the table with his fist, making Corvus and Tansy jump. "When she named my daughter, I thought she might name me too, give me some small role in this glorious new world you're all building. I thought she might name me and then, when she talked about commanders who stayed in Landfall and led from the rear, I was afraid she would cast me a villain. But she had no use for me either way."

He seemed to run out of steam, then blinked and tried to focus on Corvus. "I am very drunk."

"You are." Corvus rose and gestured to him. "Come, we'll get you to bed."

"There are people celebrating in the hallway right outside my rooms," protested Plautus as Corvus helped him to his feet.

Corvus sighed. Of course there were. "Pansy, run ahead to the family wing and ask Clover to have one of the spare rooms upstairs prepared for the ambassador tonight. I think the quiet will do him good."

"Tansy, her name is Tansy," protested Plautus. "And I thank you for the use of her. She's been a great comfort during my stay here."

"I'm glad you liked our hospitality, even if your trip did not go as you would have chosen." Corvus led Plautus through the house, trying to maintain an aura of normalcy as they spoke. There was probably a back way, but he didn't know it.

"I thought there might be some reconciliation, but my mother finally has the son she wants and it is Gaius Gallicus." There was such a world of bitterness in Plautus's words that Corvus found himself wincing in sympathy.

"If it makes you feel better, I will not be calling her 'Nana, '" he offered.

Plautus gave a sharp bark of laughter. "See that you don't. I think she showed more affection to her own granddaughter today than she ever did before."

With difficulty, Corvus got Plautus through the halls, the ambassador alternating through so many moods, it was nearly impossible to keep up. Eventually Tansy returned and guided them to the rooms that Clover and Datura were hastily making up.

"Tansy," said Clover sharply. "Get over here and help, lazy girl. I don't know where you've been."

Tansy glanced back at Corvus. "I ... was serving the ambassador."

"Well, you can serve him by putting clean sheets on his bed," ordered Clover. Then, she seemed to remember Corvus and Plautus was there. "Unless you have some other service for her?"

The two citizens shook their heads. Clover gave Tansy a little shove and followed her into the bedroom. From the antechamber, Corvus could hear Clover continuing to give her orders in that same sharp tone. Plautus shot him a questioning look. Corvus sighed. "I don't know. They don't seem to like each other very much."

When Corvus returned to the party, he found Crispa still dancing with one of his possible wives - not Procula Gellius, but Vitula Rufius. The younger sister of the senator from the heartland was moving with a kind of energetic abandon that, while it certainly didn't follow any form of dance Corvus recognized, could arguably be called infectious.

When she saw Corvus, Vitula stopped dancing and made a little bow. "Citizen Gallicus, I am most pleased to see you again. Thank you for letting your escort dance with me for a time."

Crispa smiled at Vitula. "It was lovely."

"But it may be the last time," said Vitula. "You will not be my sister-in-law. Will you?"

Crispa started to grasp for some words of protest, but Vitula kissed her on the cheek. "I saw it on your face when I said I would like someone to dance with at family gatherings. I wouldn't wish my family on you for the sake of the fun we might have together."

Crispa's eyes pleaded. "Please don't say anything to your brother. I haven't had a chance to speak to him yet."

"I won't." Vitula sketched another bow and turned again to Corvus. "Citizen, I do hope you will call on me when you can."

"I'm not certain how your brother will feel about that," Corvus said carefully.

"He will hate it. Is that not incentive enough?" Vitula grinned.

"I wouldn't toy with your feelings over politics," protested Corvus.

Vitula waved off the objection. "Everyone does. What else are a girl's feelings for?" She continued to grin as she said it even though her eyes were sad. "Besides, my brother does not choose my suitors. My father does and he has already told me you are to be encouraged."

As Vitula strode away, Crispa chuckled. "I like her. She's cynical beyond her years. I was a widow before I reached that level."

"I don't envy her position." Corvus kissed Crispa on the cheek.

"Where did you go?" Crispa asked. "I saw you talking to my cousin, but then you were gone again."

Corvus sighed. "Plautus did not like his mother's speech."

Crispa rolled her eyes. "And he tried to drink it away, I imagine. What did he do?"

"Declared me emperor and redrew the genealogy of the peerage." Corvus took her arm. "As luck would have it, the Iunii and the Gallicii are now one, big happy family with him on the outside. I think that makes us cousins."

"Not close cousins, I hope," Crispa gave him a wicked smile and slid her arm around his waist. "I might not give such things much thought, but people would talk."

Corvus drew her close. "Speaking of which, did you and Quad ever..." He let the question trail off.

Crispa shrugged, not breaking eye contact. "Does it matter? You could have your solicitor ask for a list of all my former lovers if you like."

"Not necessary. I was only wondering." Corvus leaned in to kiss her, but she planted a hand on his chest.

"I haven't spoken to Atellus."

Corvus sighed and stepped back. "You will soon, though? I'm not sure I can make it through this whole night without kissing you."

Crispa grinned at the compliment. "Just a little while longer, I think. I've only had the one drink and this is a four-drink conversation."

"Corvus!"

In spite of having only just met the man, Corvus knew immediately that the booming voice could only belong to one person. He turned around and called out, "Regulus! Good of you to come."

Reg laughed. "What else was there to do in Rio tonight? Everybody is here."

Corvus smiled. "Thank you. May I present the Widow Crispa Iunius? Crispa, Reg is the son of General Agricola."

Crispa opened her mouth to say something, but the big man was already holding out a hand to shake. "Reg Agricola. Great party."

"Uh ... thank you." Crispa looked a little flustered at his gregariousness. "I'm glad to see you here, Regulus."

"Reg, please." Regulus pronounced the nickname with a hard "j" sound at the end. He looked around. "I seem to have misplaced my date. I should probably find her and introduce her."

When he'd gone, Crispa gave Corvus a confused look. "I really can't believe he doesn't remember me. We weren't close, but I like to think I'm at least somewhat memorable."

"He probably can't see you very well from all the way up there," Corvus said. "Far more people remember the Colossus at Rhodes than the Colossus can put a name to."

"Maybe, but I still think the attempt on his life must have made him simple," grumbled Crispa.

Corvus saw another attendant running towards him and winced, wondering who else had gotten drunk and declared him emperor, but this one had a more benign mission in mind. He panted, "Sir, they're looking for you in the main ballroom to dance with your mother."

Corvus nodded and turned to lead Crispa to the ballroom. Crispa laid a hand on his shoulder. "Go ahead. I will find Atellus Rufius and give my answer to his proposal."

"You're not going to shotgun three drinks before you look for him. Are you?"

Crispa shook her head. "I will be brave. One more drink and then I'll go looking for him in the south gardens."

Corvus seemed to run into roughly half the patricians of Rio as he crossed the main ballroom in the guest wing of the house. Quad and Fusa were there, his community relations director looking surprisingly at ease surrounded by aristocrats. Cato and Metallicus stood side by side escorting women Corvus didn't know, although he suspected the older woman with the glasses was Metallicus's wife.

Tullus was there with a beautiful woman at his side. Corvus thought the man's infatuation with Crispa might be fading and was glad for it. His parents were there talking to Canus Petronius. When she saw him, Lucretia went up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "Where's Crispa?"

"Breaking off her courtship, I think." Corvus looked around. He hadn't seen Aquilina or Atellus anywhere and, while he hadn't done a thorough search of the room, he had a sense they weren't there.

"Good for her." Lucretia said firmly.

A stage had been set up for the live band now waiting with instruments poised. An announcer wearing a slightly different style of toga from the wedding party mounted the stage and started welcoming people. He made some weak joke about the traffic on the way over and most everyone laughed politely.

Then, he turned the stage over to General Agricola. Gaius's commanding officer gave a rousing speech about the groom's many positive qualities in which he granted Gaius full credit as the "liberator of Old Rome." For those in the know, it was a watershed moment in a very old fight.