To Crown a Caesar (The Praetorian Series: Book II)

by Crichton, Edward

  “We were not lying when we said that we didn’t know it was you until you fired on us,” Gaius assured. “We work in eight person squads and there are three octeti here. The way we work is with one pair from each squad blending in with a crowd, while the other six shadow them on rooftop in this clothing. These are permanent postings. Our two crowd operatives were chosen for that roll because they are well versed in numerous languages, while we are not. Additionally, to keep our chain of command succinct and efficient, those two are in command of the octetus, and are privy to more information. They must have either been given secondary orders by the Empress to capture you, or they recognized you from your Wanted posters scattered around the empire. When we saw them chasing you, all we saw was a man and a scantily clad woman, and followed as best we could.”

  Everyone looked at Helena and smiled. She blushed, and pulled the edges of her robe near her breasts tighter together, not that she was showing much before anyway. She looked around awkwardly before settling on the floor. Santino reached out and nudged her knee playfully, but she ignored him.

  “Please understand,” Gaius said, rising to his feet again. “We do not have much time. We need to get back or our unit will become suspicious.”

  I stood as well.

  “Gaius, listen to me. I don’t know what Agrippina has told you about the orb, but it’s dangerous. It’s the reason we’re here in the first place. You know this. You were there the night we arrived. We…” I checked myself before continuing, looking at my friends first, remembering that whatever we decided tonight would affect them both as well. Maybe Helena was right and I was learning.

  I turned to Santino first, whose expression was blank, no emotion either serious or juvenile evident, but when I looked at Helena, all I saw was how tired she was. Not from the day’s exertions, but from years spent on the run, with no hope. Her face had to be a mirror of my own.

  I felt it too.

  She gave me a supportive smile.

  I turned back to Gaius. He was waiting respectfully, but expectantly.

  “We want to go home,” I said in a dour tone. “We’ve overstayed our welcome. Had Caligula survived, we may have found a place here, but instead, we’re public enemy number one, with nowhere to go. All we can do is run, and we can’t do that for much longer.”

  I looked at my hands, palms up, and felt for the first time just how much I wanted to go home. To see my sister again. My SEALs. Hell, even my father. I had to imagine there was still hope left, time to fix what we’ve broken and somehow find a way back to the world we left. A way to control my future. But, as I stood there, that hope was becoming harder and harder to recognize. For all we knew the orbs were useless and the future, unrecognizable.

  Helena got up from the bed, standing on the sides of her feet gingerly, and waddled over to where I stood. She moved to my right, gripped my hand in both of her own, and gave it a squeeze. I looked at her and saw nothing. I didn’t need to. I turned back to Gaius.

  “We need your help,” I told him, wrapping my arm around Helena’s waist. “If you find out anything about the orb, please, come to us first. We need to at least try and make it work. If it doesn’t…”

  I couldn’t even think of what else to say. If it didn’t work, we had no other choice but to destroy it, therefore eliminating our chances of ever getting home.

  Gaius looked thoughtful, as did Marcus, but they didn’t even take a second to consider what I’d said. Instead, Marcus moved towards the door, while Gaius approached Helena and me. He stopped an arm’s span away, reached out, and gripped Helena’s right arm and my left. The small Roman stood well below my chin and Helena’s nose, but I thought no less of him because of it.

  “My friends,” he said, “we know you had nothing to do with Caligula’s death, despite Agrippina’s thoughts otherwise, and have wanted to help you ever since. If we find it, we will tell you.”

  “Just like that?” I asked. “No strings attached?”

  He cocked his head to the side. “No, no strings. Why would there be? But yes, ‘just like that.’ Marcus and I have heard reports of your deeds over the years, and while we would like nothing more than to have you continue your kind work, we understand how much you must miss wherever you’re from, especially with the Empress searching for you. We want to help.”

  With that, he stuck out his forearm, which I slowly gripped just before the elbow.

  “Thank you,” I told him, still shocked by how easy that was.

  “You are welcome, Hunter.”

  Santino’s face remained blank, but I knew he wanted to go home just as much as any of us, but Helena’s was filled with emotion as she tried to contain just how happy she was at the news. To show her thanks, she leaned forward and kissed Gaius on the cheek, smiling as her lips parted his skin. Gaius was smiling as well, having finally received that kiss I knew he’d always wanted. Every Praetorian or legionnaire alike had a bit of a crush on her, despite concealing it behind all that “Mother of the Legion” garbage they’d used four years ago.

  Marcus didn’t seem too happy by the door.

  Gaius let go of my arm and moved to join him.

  Before they left, he glanced over his shoulder.

  “Do not leave the city and don’t wander about it. We will find you.”

  And with that, they left.

  Helena and I stood there, transfixed by the possibility of going home. We still had some history to fix and rewrite, but maybe we could really go home after all.

  “Santino,” Helena called, waiting a second for his attention to focus on her. “Maybe you should follow them and gather as much intel as you can.”

  “What? Gaius just said to stay put.” He looked exasperated as Helena’s expression failed to sympathize, and he continued. “Why am I always the one who has to go do this? Go do that? I’m a person too, you know!”

  “Because Jacob and I are too hurt to do it,” she answered.

  “It sounds dangerous,” he whined. “I thought we were on vacation.”

  “Aren’t you the one always claiming that you can sneak up on God?” I challenged, playing along with whatever Helena was thinking.

  That got his attention. “You’re goddamn right. Fine. I’ll see what I can see.”

  He moved over to his wardrobe.

  “What to wear, what to wear?” He wondered to himself, before automatically grabbing his night ops combat fatigues. He quickly slipped them on, pulled over more local wear, found his gear bag and left without another word.

  I watched him go. “Why did you tell him to follow them?” I asked Helena. “We can trust them.”

  “I know we can,” she said as she maneuvered herself to front of me and look up at me with large eyes, “but he’ll be gone for hours. Hours…”

  I looked down at her and watched as she slowly dropped her robe to the floor. As the heavy fabric pooled around her ankles, I tracked my gaze up her long legs, past her strong abdomen, and up into her eyes, strangely feeling those same butterflies I’d felt the very first day I’d met her. I saw every single scar on her body, the two major ones, as well as the other smaller ones she’d accumulated over the past four years, and couldn’t care less. In my eyes, the woman was perfection personified. A true Aphrodite. I looked into her eyes as she unraveled her long hair, shaking loose her mane in a tumble of confusion. I hadn’t seen her so exposed and with that look on her face in maybe a year.

  “Wow,” I managed to croak, still trying to reboot my brain. The only thing going on in there was a giant, red “Error” message flashing brightly and insistently.

  She wrapped her arms around my neck, and pulled herself close, pressing her midsection against my abdomen.

  I placed my hands on her hips and held her back just slightly.

  “Helena, wait. Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, we still need to…”

  “Will you shut up and take hint,” she said, shaking her head inches away from my own. “I’m here, Jacob. Right now, and I’m
not going anywhere. If you want to help yourself, now would be the time to start.”

  “I know, Helena, but you’re the one who…”

  “Jacob, just shut up!” She said stubbornly as she jumped off her bandaged feet and into my arms. Her grip tightened around my neck and I felt her long legs wrap tightly around my waist. She secured herself against my body and pressed her lips roughly against mine. She worked them against my own for a few minutes, and I felt more tension than I could ever hope for fall from my shoulders in droves. When she finally pulled away, she looked at me with her wonderful eyes and smiled brilliantly.

  “I need this, Jacob, and you need this too. After everything we’ve been through, for now, let’s just focus on this. We have all the time in the world to worry about the other stuff.”

  I returned her smile and finally reached down to cradle her by her backside, carrying her to our very small room, kicking the door shut behind me. I crossed the room in two short steps and gently laid her on the bed before removing my locally made trousers, revealing my favorite smiley faced boxers beneath. Helena rolled her eyes at them, especially since they’d accumulated quite a few holes over the years, and got to work removing the remainder of her own clothing – what little she still had left. It took her ten seconds, which seemed like a million years, but my patience was rewarded as she was now wearing nothing but a smile.

  She leaned back against the bed, crossed her legs and held an arm across her chest to cover her breasts, beckoning me forward mischievously with a forefinger. I returned her smile with a goofy, Santino worthy grin, and practically flung myself at her with just enough restraint to protect my damaged chest. I planted my arms along either side of her waist and pressed my lips against hers with more vigor than even she had a few minutes ago. I felt her working her hands along my back towards my shorts, but just as she gave them a quick yank, I remembered something.

  “Oh,” I said, rolling off the bed, temporarily pulling up my boxers again. I made my way to the door and retrieved my bag. “I bought you something.”

  “Really?” She asked, surprised at the novelty of the idea.

  “Sure,” I said nervously, just hoping she didn’t hate it. I pulled out the piece of silk cloth containing the necklace and tentatively handed it to her, tossing the bag under the bed. “I, uh… I hope you like it.”

  She accepted the present carefully, looking at it for a second before looking back at me.

  “You bought this before I ran into you today?”

  “Um… well, yeah.” I replied, scratching the back of my head, trying, and failing, to play it cool. “I guess I wanted to surprise you.”

  She smiled at my awkwardness and went to work unfolding the flaps of cloth. Gently parting the final fold, she paused. Her face wasn’t sad, angry, happy, or even surprised. She just sat there and stared at it, maybe wondering what to do with it. I started to wonder when she’d last been given a gift before realizing she’d probably never received one from anyone but her family before. I felt a twinge of guilt and sadness at the prospect. I was never able to really understand just how closed off and devoid of love her life had been before we met.

  I was just about to say something reassuring when she looked back up at me, her mouth opening in a joyous grin. I almost thought she might cry, but she held back.

  “It’s beautiful, Jacob,” she said, a brilliant smile blooming on her face as she looked back at it. “I… I love it. How much did it cost?”

  I almost laughed. “Too much, but I figured you were worth it.”

  “Aw, that’s sweet,” she joked, before holding it up to the light, glancing at me deviously. “How much do you think it will go for back home?”

  This time I did laugh. “I’m sure a museum will pay handsomely for it. Hell, with all the authentic crap we can pawn off back home, we’ll probably be set up for life.”

  She smiled, and held it out to me. “Will you help me put it on?”

  “Sure,” I said, fiddling stupidly with the clasp that was apparently too complex for my fingers to operate. Finally getting it open, I reached around her neck, and secured it with more success than when I’d tried to open it. I pulled back and admired my handiwork. It fit wonderfully, dangling just within the nook between her breasts, the Byzantium symbol centered perfectly. With her necklace dangling seductively, she reached out and gripped my boxers, pulling me into bed beside her.

  “I think it’s time we finally picked up where we left off,” she said cutely, finally finishing the job she started earlier with my boxers. She balled them up and threw them at my face. I smiled at her playfulness and caught them out of the air, throwing them aside

  “You mean it’s time to pick up where we left off months ago, right?”

  “Of course,” she replied, pulling me closer. “What would we do if we picked up any time before then? Sulk?”

  “Golly you’re so clever,” I joked. “No wonder I haven’t been able to resist you all this time.”

  She laughed and pushed me aside, climbing atop me and positioning herself on my hips. She reached out and grabbed my hands, guiding them along her hips until they cupped her backside. She let go and used my vulnerability to slap me lightly across the face, smiling as she did so.

  “That wasn’t very cute, Lieutenant Hunter.”

  I laughed through the sting of her assault and flipped her off of me and onto her back again, a playful squeal coming for her lips. She smiled at me as I gripped her hands and pinned them behind her head.

  “Nope,” I said. “It’s because you haven’t called me that in the past year.”

  “Well, Lieutenant,” she said as she managed to free one of her hands from my grip. She placed it against my abdomen and slid it south, finding exactly what she was looking for. Her eyes flicked up, her mouth seductively ajar. “Then today is your very lucky day.”

  VI

  Dealings

  Mission Entry #6

  Jacob Hunter

  Byzantium, Thracia - July, 42 A.D.

  We haven’t baked any Welcome Home cakes quite yet, but we have a lead on the orb. Well, one of them anyways. The other is still with Agrippina.

  Our old friends Gaius and Marcus ran into us during our stay here in Byzantium. They’re on assignment to retrieve the orb that was stolen from Varus after the Battle for Rome. It turns out they’re a part of those black ops boys that attacked Santino and me aboard Agrippina’s ship as well. Apparently, they’re some kind of Roman Special Forces outfit, trained and stylized to mimic what those of us from the future can do.

  To combat us.

  At least Gaius and Marcus still had their loyalties straight.

  It didn’t matter. What mattered was the orb. Once we have it, all we need to do is figure out how it’s supposed to work, and we can go home. If we can’t, we have no choice but to destroy it, along with the second one as well. Better we end its potential for trouble now, instead of waiting for something even worse than me to come through next time.

  I just wish I knew how it worked exactly because all I have are theories.

  Theories I’m not even ready to go into yet.

  All we want to do is go home. We’re so sick and fucking tired of Rome, and all its “glory and splendor,” but we can’t just leave. Not yet. We can’t leave with Agrippina’s claim to the throne lingering. Nor can we leave without Bordeaux, Wang, and Vincent… if they even wanted to go.

  Our first priority was to get Agrippina away from Germany and all the chaos she’s wrought there.

  Oh, have I not mentioned that yet?

  Well would you believe it? Agrippina’s decision to take control of Vespasian’s legion wasn’t a great one after all.

  No surprise there.

  To Vespasian’s credit, there was no way he could have foreseen the devastation she’d bring with her. Needless to say, she’s a horribly inept commander, one prone to brash decision making and poor generalship. Not that it would have been easy campaign, anyway. Throughout Roman history, G
ermany had been one of the few provinces Rome had actively campaigned against that never completely fell under their control. Through stubbornness and determination, Germany remained relatively independent throughout Rome’s existence. And despite initial gains by the legions over the past few months, making its well past the Rhine region, months of fighting had resulted in little progress at the cost of thousands.

  Ironically, Agrippina’s strategy mirrored that of the blitzkrieg, developed by more modern Germans a half century before I was born in the original timeline. It called for a massive invasion force to simply push hard and fast in the direction it wanted to go, smashing everything in its way, striking so precisely and swiftly that the enemy had no chance to counterattack.

  That might have worked for Hitler, the douche that started our second world war, but he had access to tanks, trucks and planes, vehicles that could move far quicker than any Roman. Plus, he had a well-established infrastructure already in place to help logistically supply and feed the massive army that had exploded out of Germany in a manner of weeks. The Romans had no such infrastructure to work with. Germany was a hinterland for all intents and purposes, and Agrippina’s blitzkrieg went against almost every rule in the Roman playbook.

  A legion’s strength did not come from the flexibility and discipline of its fighting men alone, but in their logistical genius as well. Romans built roads, constructed farms, erected forts – created infrastructure – as they campaigned both slowly and deliberately. Legions could move quicker than any other infantry based army in history, but they were also methodical. As they traveled, the land they walked on inherently became “Roman.” They were always ready to receive reinforcements, supplies and dispatches from Rome itself, because they protected their asses.

  Agrippina made no such preparations, and I had no idea why generals like Vespasian or Galba hadn’t challenged her decision making. Probably because they feared her three cohorts of Praetorians, not to mention the Sacred Band (which never left her side). They could overwhelm Agrippina’s small bodyguard unit if they wanted to with the help of their entire legion… but it would cost them more than they’d want.