All she needed was something to dig with, and she’d be very rich indeed.
So where the fuck could she get a shovel?
76
“Everyone wants to be them. To emulate them: from the Holy Roman Emperors, to tsars and kaisers, to despots like Mussolini. And yet the main weapon of the Roman Empire is often ignored; the way they included and incorporated populations in the ancient world was a revolutionary approach to conquest. They were, in some respects, an empire of multiculturalism… and yet the way in which their influence still affects us today, also an Empire of Time.”
Nick Houghton,
Ambassador of New Pompeii
THE LIGHT IN the Fortuna Augusta was beginning to wane. Behind him, a voice called his name. Pullus turned, then walked towards Taedia. She indicated downwards.
His men – his new household staff – had been sent to find one of the outsiders manning the convoys, one of those who’d been helping to make lists of those called Marcus. Pullus eyed the outsider coldly. The man’s face was bruised. Clearly, he hadn’t been taken easily. “You work for Waldren?” The man nodded. “Do you know he’s dead? I killed him…”
The man looked upwards, defiance clear on his face. “You didn’t transport him though, did you?”
Pullus signalled for the captive to be dragged away, a flash of anger in his eyes. Now he knew he controlled the NovusPart device, the solution to his illness should have been simple. He could simply snuff Waldren out as soon as they’d first met, wait thirty years and then steal him from time. And yet his muscles continued to complain, which meant that action hadn’t been taken. His future self had been left with no choice but to suffer.
Insurance policy. Waldren’s words came back to him. He must have known he might fail. Fabio had indicated he was using a false name, a false identity. A spy who’d made his personal history hard to find, and maybe had been watching and waiting for a long time too.
Carefully preparing to set him up. Maybe even infecting him on a different Naples visit to his last, so that his insurance policy was in place long before the pressure was applied. After all, his symptoms appeared to be coming on fast. Maybe he’d had the early signs for a long time and simply not recognised them. Either way, it would now be hard to find the point in time at which he could stop it from happening.
“They told me you killed McMahon,” Arlen whispered at his shoulder. “I must admit, there were some occasions when I felt like stabbing that bastard…”
“It’s complicated,” Nick said, bitterly.
“That’s the nature of time,” replied Arlen. “But I wonder, are you going to be a good emperor, or bad?”
Nick hesitated, again thinking of how Arlen had lost leave of his senses. All it had taken was control of the NovusPart device, and the simple thought that he was at the centre of it all.
“Calpurnia is dead,” continued Arlen. “As is Marcus. And from where I’m standing, you’re the man quivering behind the curtain.” Arlen’s smile slipped. He rubbed his temples. “I wonder: was Crassus really rich, if he couldn’t afford a computer?”
Nick stopped. “What?”
“The Roman emperors went insane,” Arlen said. “But ultimate power in the past is nothing compared to what the NovusPart device can offer.”
“I am nothing like you.”
“No? Do you think yourself immune to the drip of the purple dye? Aren’t you already responsible for the death of a child?”
Nick found himself thinking again of Marcus. Calpurnia’s son had drowned a slave, he reminded himself. And, along with Habitus, he’d been engineering mass murder, preparing to kill everyone who’d shared his name. Which was also likely why his future self had waited until now to interfere in the past. The only possible reason was that he’d been waiting for Marcus to reveal his true nature, to both him and the other Romans.
Just like Arlen, Marcus had been removed before he could become a madman.
I’m going to be a good emperor.
“I’m not talking about Calpurnia’s son,” Arlen said, seeming to read his thoughts. “The Greek told me what happened. The man called Harris. His brother.”
Nick felt a stab of guilt deep in his stomach. It had been his voice on the cellphone. He had been the one masquerading as “Marcus”. And yet everything he’d heard during that call had sounded so alien.
“You did it on purpose,” Arlen continued. “You could have provided the correct codes and transported Harris’s brother safely into the present. And yet you didn’t. If you had done, of course, then Calpurnia or Habitus would probably be standing where you are now. You wouldn’t be in charge because they wouldn’t have let you take it from them. You were too weak. But that doesn’t alter the fact you killed that boy. You lied. What sort of man does that? Nick Houghton? Or Decimus Horatius Pullus?”
Nick didn’t want to listen anymore. He walked away, his limbs stiff.
“The man who can’t be killed,” Arlen shouted. “Do you really think you can resist power better than me? Better than Marcus or Caligula or Nero?”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
IT WAS SOMETHING of a dream to get my first book published, so I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to write a second novel.
My continued thanks go to my agent, Ian Drury (Sheil Land Associates), for offering me representation and securing a home for my work with Titan Books.
Miranda Jewess, my wonderful editor, shaped this sequel into its final form, and is responsible for these continuing temporal shenanigans. Thank you for your support, Miranda!
Also, thanks to Ella Chappell for taking a first read, and to Titan’s publicity and marketing team who worked tirelessly to get the word out on New Pompeii and supported me at various events: Lydia Gittins, Chris Young, Philippa Ward, Hannah Scudamore and Chris McLane. Martin Stiff (Amazing15) has again designed a great cover to mirror that of the original. I was also very grateful for the support from all those who took the time to read and post reviews of New Pompeii – to get some space as a debut writer in what is a crowded market was very much appreciated.
Finally, I recently had the privilege of a detailed tour of Pompeii and Herculaneum, including some fascinating “behind the scenes” access, led by Tony O’Connor. Tony’s enthusiasm really did make the sites come alive – both in the past and the present. (Of course, any mistakes – deliberate or not! – are entirely my own.)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DANIEL GODFREY LIVES and works in Derbyshire, but tries his best to hold on to his Yorkshire roots. He studied geography at Cambridge University, before gaining an MSc in transport planning at Leeds. He enjoys reading history, science and SFF. His first novel, New Pompeii, was chosen as one of both the Financial Times’ and the Morning Star’s books of the year, and was described as “irresistibly entertaining” by Barnes & Noble. Dan’s next novel, The Synapse Sequence, will be published in June 2018.
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Empire of Time Page 29
