He scanned the passersby. The streets of Rome were wide here. Channels cut at the stone edges carried the rainwater away toward the Tiber. Even at night the avenues were busy. Citizens and slaves, rich palanquins and poor men, all jostled one another. At one point a phalanx of soldiers marched past them. Black square shields with the symbol of Rome picked out in imperial purple, black brushes on their shining black helmets, they were like no soldiers he had seen. The veil of Livia Quintus Lucellus’s litter parted, and she watched them pass. The captain seemed to glare especially hard at her.“Who are they, my lady?” Jergan asked under his breath.“Praetorian Guard—the emperor’s personal bodyguard. They are the only soldiers allowed inside the city,” she murmured.“They look like guards to the gates of hell.”She chuckled ruefully. “You may be right. But even Pluto is divine. Perhaps the Guard will surprise us one day and prove they have souls, too.” Her head disappeared inside as the veils fell down around her.Their destination was a large and lavish house off a narrow street.
