Except for Grace and Mercy

Chapter 14

My men are in good shape, the few that need their wounds bandaged, have been sent back to the temple site and am now on my way to the prison cells to interrogate some of those that were captured.
I stand by one of the cells that has about ten men inside; the soldiers by the cell, stand aside for me to look inside while my guards including Albus Miles are behind me. I wriggle a finger towards one of the prisoners to come out, I turn to leave even as a guard opens the gate of the cell for the prisoner to come out; I enter an empty dungeon, the guards there open the gate for me to enter and following behind me is the man I called out. He is being dragged by two soldiers on either side of him, they dump him on the hay straw inside the cell. It is made of solid brick walls with concave metal bars for the cell doors and hanging on each side of the walls are heavy iron metal chains almost four feet in length: the man is struggling to sit up, I then motion with my hand for the soldiers to wait outside the prison door. Squatting, I gaze at him and ask-"who's your gang leader?"
His response is a song of lament for Jerusalem that sounds Hebraic. I rise and begin to move about the cell thinking on my next course of action: "where do you reside? Are you from Jerusalem?"
"I am a Jew"
Patience Opimius, patience. I keep telling myself. I would take it slow. "Any wife or children? My men have been sent to bring all your families here and if possible, they will be killed for your participation in the rebellion"
"No, no, Roman, please, not them" he's speaking while grabbing at the tribune's legs.
Opimius smiles to himself, he has gotten the man's weak spot. Ofcourse, he would never hurt a man's family, but the bait has worked to his advantage. Pulling the man away, he bends down to face him -"then you would help me?"
Crying bitter tears, his prisoner can only nod his agreement.

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She is freshly adorned and covered in perfumes of roses and lavender; her embroidered garment is purple for this hour and her curly hair is styled in rosemary flowers and olive oil. Her face had been palmed with lotions to hide any wrinkles: her nails were painted using a red dye from crushed Indian insects and in this small room, her female slaves have also applied cultus on her giving her that feeling of a goddess. Whispers have gone about the fortress that Opimius has been interrogating the prisoners, but this wait is excruciatingly painful.
The gong sounds three times signalling the entrance of the empress Flavia Domitilla.
"I see a woman who is trying to adorn love itself "
Rising from the stool, she approaches Flavia Domitilla - "Ah, godmother this tribune so knows how to play the tune of my fluttering heart asunder"
"Indeed, if only it were not a poison to another"
"Love conquers all godmother, even the unwilling"
"Can you truly read love from the truly unwilling?"
"Only the ignorant know not love"
"And you are not?"
"Ah godmother you hurt me so". She feigns annoyance with the pouting of her lips and placing her left hand over her heart.
They are interrupted by Marcus the emperor's chief servant as he bows to announce to the empress that her husband -Emperor Vespasian requires her presence urgently.
"Farewell dear Cornelia, I pray we are chanced later to exhaust what lays in our bosoms"
"Indeed lady Flavia"
At the empress's departure, Cornelia signals for Ariel, then whispers in her ear before dismissing her, trying all the while to erase the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach where butterflies ought to fly instead.