Return to Me - By Morgan O'Neill Page 0,7
“He failed in his pursuit of them the night they ran from here, and instead of admitting failure, we have learned he murdered two perfectly good slaves, burned their bodies, and presented them to us as the escaped traitors. To think we once mourned Sarus’s death at Athaulf’s hand. Now we applaud the act!”
Constantius looked angry as he nodded in agreement. “What would you have me do? Hunt down Magnus and his wife? It would be my great pleasure.”
“No, we have a centurion doing that,” Honorius replied. “We now regret the hand of peace we offered that Visigoth bastard, Athaulf, in giving our blessing for the proper marriage between him and our sister in Narbonne. And to think Athaulf named Senator Attalus ‘Augustus’ again, without our consent. Another slight, and stupid, for how well did it work out the first time they named him such? Badly! And we will not be a co-ruler ever again!”
The memory of past wrongs enraged Honorius, and he got up and began pacing. “Our spies said Placidia was well and truly distraught at hearing of Magnus and Gigiperrin’s deaths. But Constantius, we now know they survived, so why did they not flee to her after their escape? And why were they spotted back here in Ravenna, just days ago? They can’t possibly have hidden out in Ravenna all this time, but whatever they were up to before, we are certain Magnus and Gigiperrin are trying to rejoin the Visigoths.”
He spun and faced Constantius. “As our supreme general, you must establish and enforce a naval blockade from Rome to Hispania. They are being hunted down by land, and they must not be able to reach our sister by sea. Take your legions into Gaul. Athaulf has been a pain in our royal ass long enough. We promised our sister to you years ago, and so it shall be! We have had our fill of these Visigoths!”
On a whim, Honorius approached Constantius, and stood so close he could feel the general’s breath. “When you happen upon our sister, capture her,” he said quietly. “Put her in chains and force her to march all the way back with bare feet. She deserves as much. And shear her hair. As for Athaulf, do with him what you will, but bring us his head — and his cock! Don’t put the head on pole, like you did with that usurper Jovinus. We want Athaulf preserved — pickle him with his eyes open, and his cock in his mouth! We will keep him thus as a reminder for our sister, should she ever feel the urge to misbehave again.”
Chapter 3
Hadrian’s Villa, Italy
Gigi shifted in her saddle, her legs and back aching from the long ride in the dank, misty air. She was exhausted. They were six days out of Ravenna and almost there. Hadrian’s Villa. She would see Princess — no, Queen Placidia, King Athaulf, and his beautiful, unhurt children.
Gigi smiled, watching Magnus as he guided his mount over the uneven terrain. He was in his element, so confident and alive. She hadn’t thought he felt out of place in the twenty-first century, but seeing him back here made her realize he’d been a mere shadow of himself.
Her mare blew hard and shook her head, sending tremors rattling down its entire body. The horse was tired, too.
Magnus glanced back at Gigi. “Not much farther,” he said and withdrew his sword.
She reached under her cloak and palla and unsnapped the security strap on her shoulder harness. She still hadn’t told Magnus about the gun, but was determined to use it if necessary.
Until now, they’d avoided the roads and kept to the back country to evade unwanted attention or recognition, although seeing anyone who might identify Magnus seemed implausible. They wore heavy winter cloaks of oiled wool, which protected against the freezing damp and prying eyes. Besides, the lousy weather had kept most people inside and uninterested in strangers passing by.
The trees thinned, then ended, and they emerged from the wilderness onto a breathtaking plateau. Gigi’s mouth dropped open. Craggy rocks and pine trees created a stunning backdrop to marble buildings, pools and statues, columns and lush gardens.
Hadrian’s Villa exuded a sense of peace, of beauty and nature tamed. It looked like a place where the gods might live, and yet it also looked … abandoned.
• • •
Cretia, the villa’s caretaker, welcomed Gigi and Magnus, and easily accepted their invented reason for coming — that he was a legatus traveling with his wife