‘Beautiful,’ said Nero staring out at the flames raging across Rome, ‘Won’t be long Priestess, and the rebuilding can begin. A new era of magnificence, the likes of which has never seen. It could have all been yours, Rubria. Why did you have to spoil it all?’
Rubria didn’t answer.
‘It matters not,’ said Nero. ‘There are countless who will gladly consent to be my Empress. I have my choice of women or boys, married or chaste.’ He glanced sideways at her ominously, ‘Willing or not!’
‘Please,’ she whispered, ‘Let me go. You have had your way; please allow me to return to the temple.’
‘Back to the Temple?’ he laughed, ‘Why? You know as well as I that you have no future there. The Priestesses must all be Virgins. As soon as the Pontifex maximus find out you have lain with a man, your only future lies beneath the paviers of the Campus Sceleratus.’
‘You raped me,’ she said, ‘They will understand.’
‘And who do you think they will believe,’ asked Nero. ‘A mere girl, who has been pestering me for months or their glorious Emperor. Sorry, Rubria, your future has become somewhat limited, and, to be honest…’ He grabbed her chin in his hand and forced her head up to look at him. ‘It’s not even as if you were any good.’
A knock came on the door and Nero answered without looking up.
‘Go away, I am busy.’
‘Sire,’ came a voice, ‘You are needed, there is a problem.’
‘What problem?’
‘The fire is getting out of control. It threatens the Palatine.’
Nero looked up in concern.
‘The palace?’ he asked.
‘Yes, Sire, the Vigils are fighting the flames as we speak.’
Nero walked over to the door and withdrew the bolt.
‘How has this happened,’ he asked.
‘The wind changed, Sire, the whole hill is threatened, Caligula’s palace, the Domus, even the Forum is at risk.’
Nero glanced at Rubria.
‘What about the Temple of Vesta?’ he asked, ‘Does it lie in the fire’s path?’
‘No Sire, it would seem the Temple is safe.’
‘Hmm,’ said Nero, ‘I am not sure that is a fair situation. Why do our humble citizens suffer yet the sisterhood escapes the fire? Look at the situation again, soldier,’ he said, ‘Next time you report it would be better for you if I heard the Temple had burnt to the ground. Do you understand?’
‘Yes, Sire,’ said the soldier.
‘Good. Make sure you do. Now, gather the men and concentrate on saving the palaces.’
‘Yes, Sire,’ said the Centurion and Rubria heard him running back through the marble hallway.
‘Oh dear,’ said Nero, sitting back down next to her and peeling an apple with his knife, ‘It would seem that even if I were to let you go, there is nowhere for you to go. Or at least, there soon won’t be. However, that is irrelevant. You see, Rubria, unfortunately, I can’t let you leave here alive. Even though I am destined to be a God, there are some who would frown on your seduction, and, whilst I do not answer to them, it is an irritation I could do without. So, in a few hours, while I am becoming the saviour of the city and spend untold fortunes on saving my people, you, my dear Priestess, will be having a meeting with an assassins blade.’ He stood up to leave. ‘Listen to that, Rubria,’ he said, indicating the noise from the city below. ‘The sound of my people, begging for my help, and who am I to deny them. Goodbye, Priestess, Don’t bother screaming, no one can hear you up here. But worry not, you won’t be alone for long. The next person you see, will also be the last.’ He paused before finally adding. ‘When you greet your Goddess, Rubria, give her my love.’ He turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him.
Rubria stared after him in horror, struggling to make sense of the last few minutes. It was not the fact that she was to be killed that worried her but the fact that the Temple was at risk. Her imagination worked overtime as she imagined her fellow Priestesses, unaware of the danger they were about to face. She had to warn them and started to struggle against her bonds.
For half an hour she pulled and strained against the bindings on her wrists, even chewing on them to try to bite through. Finally, realising that she was fighting a losing battle, she realised she had no other option, and, though Nero had said it would be futile, she started to scream for help.
For an age no one came and finally her cries became weaker as her strength failed, until she fell silent once more. The sounds of the panic in the streets filtered into her room, and Rubria realised her life had come crashing down around her. Her chastity had been torn from her in a brutal assault by the Emperor, the Priestesses of Vesta were in danger, and more than that, the holy relics of the Temple were at risk. She sobbed quietly as she contemplated the tragedy that was befalling Rome.
A noise from the door made her look up, and she gasped, as she realised that it was being unlocked. She stared as it eased inward, expecting to see the looming figure of the executioner, come to deal Nero’s judgement. It had only opened a few inches when a tiny hand gripped the edge, pushing it further in and a tiny feminine face peered nervously into the room.
‘Hello,’ she said, ‘Miss, are you in here?’
Rubria caught her breath as she recognised the slave girl she had blessed a few days earlier.
‘Rose?’ she asked, ‘Is that you?’
‘Oh, Miss,’ said the girl as she noticed her in the gloom, ‘What has he done to you?’
‘Rose, quick, come here. You have to get me out of here, there is little time.’
The slave ran to Rubria’s side and struggled with her bonds.
‘Quickly,’ insisted Rubria
‘They are too tight, Miss,’ she said, ‘I will get a knife.’ She ran from the room and Rubria waited in fear.
Eventually she heard footsteps approaching once more but her initial relief was cut short as she realised the footsteps were slower, heavier, and more considered. The door flung open and Rubria looked into the face of a giant black man dressed in a white toga.
‘Who are you?’ she asked nervously.
‘You know who I am,’ sneered the man.
‘The executioner,’ she said simply.
He nodded and walked slowly towards her, drawing a blade from a sheath beneath his robes.
‘Wait,’ she said, ‘You don’t have to do this.’
‘Oh but I do,’ he said, ‘My Master has decreed it.’
‘But, you don’t understand,’ she said desperately, ‘I can make it worth your while. If you release me I can get you money.’
‘I have no need of money lady, ‘My Master ensures I want for nothing.’
‘Please, you have to listen,’ she said, as he drew near, ‘There is more at stake here than just my life. The Temple of Vesta is at risk.’
He stared at her, unmoved.
‘Your Gods hold no sway over my life lady, and my Gods forsook me a long time ago. Nothing you say will change your fate. The only question is, do I enjoy your body before my blade cuts your undoubtedly beautiful neck?’
Rubria’s eyes welled with tears.
‘Please,' she begged, 'I care not for myself. Have your way if you must, but please, you must release me. I have to get to the temple.’
The executioner grinned an evil smile.
‘Enough talk,’ he said, ‘This is what is going to happen. First, of all I will cut those robes from your back, the better to see this beautiful body I have heard so much about. Then I will show you what you have been missing all these years as a Virgin. Your death is inevitable, lady, but the manner of dying is in your hands. Respond warmly and I promise your death will be painless and quick. If you are cold, then you will die in a way you cannot even imagine. Trust me, lady; I know a thousand ways to kill you.’
‘No,’ she gasped, ‘Please, don’t do this.’
‘Too late, lady,’ he said, ‘Your fate is sealed.’ He took a step towards her but stopped suddenly in confusion, looking down at the point of the blade protruding from his chest. A large red stain spread rapidly on his white tunic and he turned slowly to stare at Rose who was backing away from him in fear.