Chapter thirty-one

Ortia

 

Aurelian ordered his troops to search for their missing proconsul. They went through every nook and cranny of the palace, sent troops into every public building, and appealed to every citizen, but there was no sign of him.

After that, and with great reluctance, Aurelian hurried to the temple. The High Priestess was waiting for him, it seemed – she was sitting in the entrance portico talking with the most senior of her priestess, but she shooed them away politely when she saw him.

 ‘You came quickly’ she said, ‘for that, thank you’

‘If course I came quickly’ he said, struggling for breath, ‘what have you done to him?’

Aquilegia stretched up to her full height – and then the Lady filled her. Her voice resonated around the ante-chamber.

 ‘The senator has been sent home’ she said

‘And what exactly do you mean by home?’ asked Aurelian, carefully

‘Back to Visnea, whence he came’

The Lady left Aquilegia and she fell forward slightly. She rubbed her forehead with the palm of her hand.

‘But what are we meant to do now?’ asked Aurelian.

 ‘The Lady wants you to take up the post of Dictator, until Marthian returns’

Aurelian felt as if someone had just thrown a brick at his stomach. He let out an involuntary little cry, but his reflexes made him snap to attention. He assumed his most military voice.

‘I respectfully ask that you withdraw that request… ma’am’

Aquilegia looked completely confused.  She was still rubbing her head and her voice wavered slightly.

‘What is that you are calling me, General?’

‘It’s “Ma’am”…ma’am’

‘But, why are you calling me that?’

Aurelian shrugged.  He was struggling to keep an edge out of his voice.  

‘Who else is in charge, then, High Priestess, if it’s not you?’

Aquilegia screwed up her face in concentration. She was very pale.

‘You’re in charge, General – that’s what I was just saying…’

‘But a Dictator can only be appointed when we’re at war…’

‘Yes, of course. The Lady considers the Emperor’s actions to be an act of aggression. We need to defend ourselves’

Aurelian shook his head very vigorously.

‘No, no’ he moaned, ‘that’s suicidal nonsense’

‘Nonetheless’ murmured the High Priestess solemnly, ‘It is the Lady’s will’

‘But we will be crushed.’

‘Perhaps, but the Emperor cannot destroy the Lady – he knows that’

‘But he can easily annihilate the city. Is that what the Lady wants, to live in a wasteland?’

Aquilegia was steadfast.

‘He would not dare!’

Aurelian began to feel his whole world career away from him. He had somehow to get it back under control. There was only one thing that he could do that might have any chance of achieving that.  He couldn’t decide not to serve.  He waited a moment to summon up all his strength.

‘I will assume the post of dictator, as you request’ he said

Aquilegia smiled in relief.

‘But… with certain conditions. ma’am’

The High Priestess’s smile disappeared.

‘What conditions, general?’

‘That you will accept all my decisions regarding the running of the city and that you and the Lady will keep out of things until all possible political solutions have been explored’

Aquilegia considered this carefully.

‘The Lady will not be content until Marthian is returned as Proconsul’

‘And neither will I’ said Aurelian, ‘but that may not be possible’

‘You must make it so, general’

‘But if I cannot, then some compromise may have to be reached, will it not?’

The High Priestess shook her head emphatically.

‘No compromise is possible on this issue. It is a matter of faith’

Aurelian frowned so hard that his face seemed to harden. There was nothing else to say. ‘Yes ma’am’ he muttered and started to walk away.

Aquilegia moved forward to embrace him. She looked up at him with her blue-grey eyes.

‘I am sorry, general. I really am. You must understand – I can only do my spiritual duty’  

He broke free as gently as his anger would allow.

‘Well, ma’am – I’d say that that is a very dangerous duty indeed’

He stomped off without looking behind him. He really didn’t want to give his new employer any encouragement at all.

 

***

The reluctant Dictator returned to the Proconsul’s Palace and began work immediately. First, he sat in the proconsul’s office and wrote some letters: one to the Emperor; one to Marthian; and one to Bellis, Proconsul of Monurbis. They all said the same things – that he had been appointed Dictator by the Lady, that he had accepted only reluctantly, and that he would only serve until the proconsul returned.  To Marthian he added a strong recommendation that she should stay where she was until she was recalled by the Emperor. It was very hard to write those words, as he desperately wanted her back, but he knew that if Ortia were to survive that he must do nothing to aggravate either the Emperor or the Lady. To Bellis, he requested that they should meet as soon as possible.

 After that he sat in the office wondering what to do next. He had no idea how to run a city, and no experience of the administrative and political duties that that task involved.  He wondered how long would be before the populace as a whole knew what was going on and how they would react.

He looked around the room and wished that it could be like it used to be, full of Marthian’s things. His first instinct was to remove everything belonging to Antonius and to dump it somewhere. He even got as far as piling up the ledgers full of figures that the senator had been studying so avidly, but then he stopped himself.  His military training kicked in – it was not the business of a soldier to interfere with the administration of a province, and, despite what the High Priestess had said, they were not at war. He made a decision: he was a general and would behave like one. One by one he replaced the ledgers carefully back to where they had been on the desk, then he went to the window and looked out into the garden. Erik was doing an excellent job of keeping it tidy and it was full of spring flowers. At least this part of Marthian was safe for a while.

 He turned and nodded to the proconsul’s chair. Then he picked up his jacket and walked to the door. He opened it and took out the large iron key from the keyhole. He stepped out of the door and shut it. Then he locked the door with and put the key in the pocket of his jacket.  He would return it to the proconsul whenever he or she returned, but until then he would rule the city from his headquarters. And he would take no more orders from the Lady – his commanding officer was the Emperor, and for good or bad he would obey him. He just hoped that he would see sense soon.