Stepping back behind the protection of the blacksmith's tent, from which sounds of clanging metal rose in the morning air, he said to Ulrika, "It appears the emperor has seized the caravan as well."
As soon as they had arrived in Rome, they had gone to Sebastianus's villa and found guards surrounding it, with a sign on the main gate declaring it to be the property of the Senate and People of Rome. "We will have to assume that my friends are also being watched, in case I go to them for assistance."
Ulrika felt a wave of emotions wash over her. It had been ten years since she was last in Rome, and the sight of the city brought back a rush of girlhood memories. She thought of old friends who would be married now, with children—Julia, Lucia, Servia.
Behind those towering walls, in the warren of streets and lanes that covered Rome's hills, Ulrika had lived in a villa with her mother. There, she had learned about the Rhineland, had yearned to meet her father's people. But in that same villa, Ulrika had spoken harsh words to her mother and apologized in a letter that her mother had never read.
Did my mother return to Rome? Is she here now?
"What should we do?" she asked, scanning the crowd for a familiar face. They had yet to find Timonides.
The caravanserai south of Rome was vast and noisy, with camels bellowing and donkeys braying, dogs running about on ground covered in sludgy manure and chopped straw. The air was choked with pungent smoke from cook fires, and from the stench of animals recently sodden with sweat. The whole encampment was a hubbub of industry and care, and surrounding it were Roman soldiers in brass and scarlet, standing watch to make sure no one touched the emperor's treasure.
And then Ulrika did see a familiar face. "Timonides!" she cried.
He had been coming from the direction of the southern gate, wringing his hands, his face filled with worry. Ulrika called out, glancing at the soldiers to make sure they had not heard. The old astrologer stopped and turned. His face broadened with joy as he came toward them at a trot.
They embraced in the shadow of the blacksmith's tent, Timonides's cheeks wet with tears. "I never thought I would see you again, master," he sobbed on Sebastianus's chest. "It is so good to see you both."
"You are well, old friend?" Sebastianus said, wiping his own tears away.
"I am well, master, but I have been in hiding, waiting for your arrival. Nero is out of his mind with fury!"
"But the caravan arrived intact, did it not?"
"Yes, but too late for his taste. And he came in person to pick through everything here. Nothing pleased him."
"But there are treasures in there!"
"Not the sort Nero wants. They say he has a new passion—for gemstones! He carries an emerald and peers at the world through it. He needs money. You have heard of the terrible fire that destroyed much of the city. Rumors are that Nero himself set it so that he could clear room for new buildings. Master! You cannot go home. Soldiers are there to arrest you. I have come to the caravan terminus every day, hoping to find you before the soldiers did."
"I know, old friend."
Timonides's white eyebrows flew up. "You know about the charges of treason and witchcraft?"
Sebastianus laid a hand on the old astrologer's shoulder. "It is a long story."
Timonides turned to Ulrika. "While I have been awaiting your arrival, I have not been idle. I asked around and learned that a well-known healer-woman named Selene now lives in Ephesus, where she practices her arts."
"You found my mother?" But Ulrika was not surprised. Selene had enjoyed a sterling reputation here in Rome. Word of her whereabouts would have made its way back to where she had been so loved.
"You can write to her. I know where to send a letter."
"Oh Timonides, this is wonderful news!"
"But what of your journey to Judea?"
Sebastianus told him of finding Rachel at the oasis near the sea of salt, where he and Primo had reverently moved Jacob's remains to the small cedar chest in which Rachel had kept her clothes. From there they had made their way to the coast to take a merchant ship across the Great Green, arriving at Brundisium a week ago, the first day of October. There they had purchased horses and carts and fresh supplies, and had struck out along the Via Appia, the highway that connected the main cities of Italia. Fifty miles south of Rome they parted ways with Primo and Rachel, believing that the two would be safer on their own, and Primo knew an old friend, a retired centurion he had served under, who would offer them safe haven at his hillside vineyard.
"Where are you going to take the relics?" Timonides asked.
"We had thought to a man named Simon Peter, a friend of Rachel's."
Timonides shook his head. "Your friend Rachel is not safe here. I have heard of this Simon fellow. He leads a group of Jews who are waiting for the Messiah to come. As they are a closed and fanatical group, Nero has decided to blame them for the fire that destroyed much of the city. They have all been arrested and await execution in the arena."
"How bad was the fire?" Ulrika asked.
"Terrible! It happened three months ago, on the night of July the eighteenth, starting at the southeastern end of the Circus Maximus in shops selling flammable goods. The fire spread quickly and burned for over five days. Hundreds of houses and shops were reduced to cinders. Nero began rebuilding at once, but they are extravagant projects. He is building a splendid new residence for himself called the Golden House—a project certain to bankrupt the Treasury, as you might imagine by its name. Did you know that Nero has proclaimed himself a god? He is insisting that he be worshipped alongside Jupiter and Apollo. Come with me, master. I will take you and Ulrika to a safe place."
Sebastianus turned to Ulrika, "Go with Timonides. Send word to Primo and Rachel. Italia is no longer safe for them."
"What about you?"
"I have an appointment with our emperor. Ulrika, you go with Timonides—"
Ulrika shook her head. "I am going with you."
Timonides spoke up: "Master, I will also go with you. You were led astray by my false horoscopes. If there are any charges of treason, they should be upon me. This is something I must do."
"Very well, but we must find a way to get into the palace."
"It is a madhouse, master. This is Nero's jubilee year. Emissaries have come from all over the empire to bring him gifts. You cannot even get near the Imperial Palace. Best to let one of those take you," Timonides said, flinging an arm in the direction of the Roman guard.
But Sebastianus said, "I will not stand before Caesar in chains. And I especially will not have my wife paraded in chains. We are free citizens of Rome and deserve to be heard before we are found guilty." He rubbed the bronze stubble on his jaw. "The problem is how to get into the palace without risking arrest? For if we are arrested, we could languish in prison for days or even weeks before we are brought before Caesar and our case is heard. We need only get in the door. But how?"