Taurus (18 page)
Taurus agreed. “My sister would want us there for Caius and the girls.”
But the foreboding in Kallie’s bones frightened her. Years ago she had envisioned Magnus as ruler of Rome, and now the wheels of fate turned in an unstoppable motion. Magnus, favored nephew of Caius and the eldest male heir, was bound for imperial greatness. Clever, well educated, strong and handsome and, most of all, a natural leader, he ruled his peers with an innate sense of entitlement. Not cruel or unkind, he nevertheless possessed a gift for knowing how to make his will be done. Not only a blood nephew of the emperor but also a blood nephew of Virga, he was a natural choice for Caius as a successor.
Kallie returned to the house with Taurus and kissed their darling baby daughter before the nursemaid took her for an afternoon nap.
“It is true. The blood of Paulus Paulinus will inherit Rome.” Emotion deserted her voice.
Taurus turned to her in curiosity. “I am not Paulus Paulinus’ true son. Just an orphan, remember?”
Kallie’s eyes slowly moved to his. “Paulinus sired many children.”
Her husband shrugged. “I’m sure he did. What of it?”
“You’re one of his…his children.” She fumbled the words marking him a bastard.
“No, I am not his child. Lidia paid my mother. Virga and I were the youngest; she couldn’t afford to keep us, and she sold us to Lidia for a price.”
Kallie understood more than Taurus. Lidia had taunted her with the truth years ago at the fortress in Panua. Taurus carried the true blood of Paulinus, sired as a result of his infatuation with Taurus’ mother, a dark-haired beauty and widow of a minor noble. Paulus conveniently kept her as his mistress. Her youngest children were of Paulinus’ lineage.
After recounting the story from Lidia all those years ago, Kallie sat quietly.
Taurus paced at the floor. “Why then would Lidia not tell me such a thing?”
“If you were adopted as his heir, it would not matter much whether you truly were his blood. The laws are the same in Rome. A man adopts his heir, gives his name, and the deed is done. Lidia preferred to keep you under her thumb, believing you owed her your allegiance because she chose to elevate you. But your privileged position was your birthright from the beginning.”
“Are you not afraid I’ve inherited my father’s monstrous reputation?”
“The day I laid eyes on you I wanted you. I asked your name because I intended to find you. How many generals named Taurus, with your looks, are in the ranks?”
“When you held me captive, you knew even then?”
Kallie raised her eyebrows. “When I held you in my sights in the forest I knew. A heartbeat away from pinning you to a tree, I changed my mind when I saw your face. I pinned Barca instead.”
Taurus laughed. “If you had pinned me to a tree, would I have been so lenient with you? I was an unforgiving, unrelenting fool back then. Why did you seek me out after Magnus was born? You could have taken him to Rome and lived as a wealthy woman in your own right, avoiding the stigma of Paulinus.”
“Because I love you, Taurus, and I care not whose blood runs in your veins. We have united bitter enemies, and they both have won the war. One child,
our child
, can change the world.”
“Lidia should have told me Paulinus was my true father.”
“Lidia’s insecurities ran deep. She kept many secrets, even from her son when he ruled Panua.”
“I wonder if the old crow is dead,” Taurus said, curious of her fate. “If not, she must be closing in on eighty annals.”
“It is likely she is dead.” Kallie remembered Virga, and fresh tears welled in her eyes.
Taurus tugged her into his arms and held her for a long time. “Thank you,” he whispered after a while.
“What for?”
“Finding me and giving me a life with you and the boys, and Catia.”
“Change will come when we move to Rome.” A warning note chilled her voice.
“We go together, and that’s all I care about.”
“Me too.” She and Taurus could survive anything. They had weathered ten years of marriage, with four children. As long as they were a family, it would work out for the best.
He cupped her face in his hand and kissed her tenderly. “I love you, Kallie. Nothing will change my mind.”
She sighed, wrapping her arms around him, burying her face against his broad chest, enjoying the strength and warmth he exuded.
“Nothing will ever change us, or my love.”
The story continues. Here’s an excerpt from Book III of the Imperial Desire series:
Magnus
by
Christine Elaine Black
Imperial Desire Series, Book Three
An old woman sat with the high priestess and waited, her time coming to an end. “Do it,” she hissed firmly.
“Once done it cannot be undone,” the priestess cautioned.
“Good,” the old woman muttered. “This is my only chance to take what is rightfully mine.”
The priestess gave a signal and the gathering of women slowly wound into a rhythmic trance. Chanting and swaying simultaneously, a hundred female seers, priestesses, sibyls, oracles, and others with ancient mystical powers joined with one voice to intone the rites of the transforming. The old and ancient rite forgotten by many, a few knew the beginning and a few knew the ending, still fewer recalled the core, but, recited in full during the second moon of the same month in the bosom of their holy shrine, it granted absolute power to the high priestess.
The old woman stayed perfectly still during the transforming. A young girl lay on the altar beside her, drugged and quiet. The process, arduous and long, must be exact, and she managed to endure it. Finally the priestess looked up, holding her arms high in the air for silence, and pronounced with gravity, “She is gone.”
A quiet reverence filled the stone chamber. The young girl on the altar stirred. Her hand moved to her forehead as she rose up and surveyed the room, her gaze coming to rest on the lifeless body at her side. Her rosy lips curved in pleasure and her outstretched hand reached for the priestess. Long shapely legs slid off the cool slab, and her lithe, supple body stood naked and nymph-like before the assembly.
A gasp of appreciation echoed off the walls. The women waited solemnly, watching the girl.
“Welcome. Are you well?” the priestess whispered, handing over a parchment and a reed pen.
The girl nodded and wrote three words in a dark foreboding scrawl, awaiting scrutiny.
I am Ereshkigal.
A second scroll scribed in an identical hand lay open on the altar.
I am Ereshkigal.
The priestess, satisfied the transforming had proved successful, touched a taper to the bright flame of a single candle and set fire to the scrolls.
“Bow to your new mistress, women of wisdom.” A murmur of accomplishment rippled through the chamber before the gathering complied.
The priestess addressed the girl. “What is your wish, Mistress?”
A charming smile graced the young girl’s divine features. No one could guess what lay under her exquisitely self-possessed exterior. “We go to Rome. My destiny waits in Rome.”
A word about the author...
Christine Elaine Black, born and raised in the West of Scotland, currently resides in Ontario, Canada. Her favorite stories to write are romantic fiction with an ancient Roman theme.
Christine's daughter provided the inspiration for her foray into writing. Both mother and daughter enjoy an exciting tale with a happy ending.
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