large pendant earrings, he handed them to her with a smile.
Cailin smiled tremulously back at him, and affixed the large single teardrop amethysts set in gold filigree to her ears. There were several bracelets in the box as well: two gold bangles set with diamonds and pearls, and a wide gold band with inlaid mosaic that glittered and glistened with the light. Finally there was a filigreed gold headband studded with amethysts and diamonds. Cailin fitted it over the sheer mauve-colored veil covering her hair, which she wore loose in deference to Aspar, who liked it that way.
“I will be the envy of every man in the Hippodrome today,” he said sincerely. “You are the most beautiful woman in a city of beauties.”
“I wish to be the envy of no one,” Cailin told him honestly. “The last time I knew such happiness and contentment, the gods snatched it away from me. I lost everything I held dear. Now that I have found happiness again, I want to keep it, my lord. Do not boast lest the gods hear you and grow jealous of us.”
“We will keep it,” he said firmly, “and I will keep you safe.”
Cailin traveled to the city in her comfortable litter while Aspar rode his big white stallion by her side. He was greeted by many people along the way. Cailin, watching from the security of her conveyance, felt her heart swell with her love for this great and good man. There was no doubt that Flavius Aspar was well-respected by ordinary citizens, not simply feared for his power and wealth.
They entered the city through the Golden Gate. This was Constantinople’s ceremonial triumphal gate. Made of pristine white marble set into Theodosius’s walls, the gate gained its name from the enormous burnished brass doors with which it was fitted. The elegant severity of the gate’s architecture, and its splendid proportions, made it an object of admiration throughout the empire. Passing through the gate, they traveled slowly with the increasing crowds down the Mese to the Hippodrome.
At the Golden Gate they had been met by a troop of cavalry that had come to escort Aspar and his party along the broad main avenue of the city. As they surrounded Cailin’s litter, she discreetly closed the silk curtains. She was well aware that she was the object of certain curiosity among the soldiers, but she could not allow them to stare boldly at her as if she were a common prostitute.
The Hippodrome could seat forty thousand people, and was an imitation of Rome’s Circus Maximus. However, it had never hosted games quite as cruel as those in Rome, nor had it seen the martyrdom of innocents. It had been first built by the Roman emperor Septimus Severus, but remodeled by the great Byzantine emperor Constantine I. The entertainments it offered were varied. There was everything from animal baiting, theatrical amusements, and gladiators, to chariot racing, religious processions, state ceremonies, and the public torture of famous prisoners. Entry to the Hippodrome was gained by presenting a special token, and tokens were issued free in advance of the games to the populace who came to sit, regardless of class, upon the snowy marble tiers of seats.
In the center of the Hippodrome a line of monuments had been erected, forming what was called a spina. The spina indicated the division between the downward race course and the upward one. Among the monuments was the Serpent Column, which had been brought to Constantinople from the temple of Apollo in Delphi by Constantine I. The ancient column, made up of intertwined bronze snakes, had been given to the temple by thirty-one Greek cities in the year 479 B.C. It commemorated the victory of the Greeks over the Persians, and was presented to the gods with gratitude. Another monument that stood out was the Egyptian obelisk that Theodosius I had placed upon a sculptured base. It was carved on all four sides with scenes of imperial life, including one of Theodosius himself in the imperial box with his family and close friends, watching the games.
Cailin’s litter was set down by a private gate to the arena on the eastern side. Aspar dismounted his stallion and proudly handed her from the vehicle. He knew that every man in the cavalry troop was eager to see the woman rumored to have captured his heart. A dainty jewel-encrusted gold sandal was put forth first as she stepped from the litter. Eyes widened. Knowing looks were exchanged by the