Copper Centurion (The Steam Empire Chronicles) Read Online Free Page A

combat leading the way into the interior.”
    Constantine could only nod dumbly, his brain working overtime to figure out what strings the general could have pulled to get this assignment. Minnicus’ bland smile began to edge downward as he waited for Constantine to respond.
    Seeing his friend falter, Alexandros stepped in. “Please excuse us, General; we just had a large meal and are still feeling the effects. We’re actually on a very tight schedule, so we must be off.”
    Waving his hand dismissively, Minnicus bade them farewell as he walked over to a long table overcrowded with his lackeys. As he sat, Constantine noticed him conspiratorially talking into the ear of one of his comrades at the table, the only one still wearing his hat and cloak.
    As Alexandros pulled him free of the situation, Constantine’s mind continued to race. What is he up to? he wondered as he slowly extracted the check tag from his pocket.
    Alexandros snatched it from his fingers and retrieved his cloak from the wardroom for him, tossing a small copper coin to the servant in return. He pushed the cloak into the tribune’s arms. “I hope you aren’t planning on asking me to buckle it up for you. I finished my parental duties long ago!” Alexandros told him.
    Finally snapping out of his reverie, Constantine unfurled his cloak around his shoulders and prepared to exit the warmth of the building. Alexandros paused, throwing up a hand. “Hold up; I think I forgot something up in the admiralty office. I won’t be but a minute.” He took the stairs two at a time, leaving Constantine to wait in the lobby.
    Constantine sat down on a bench, staring absently at the veins of black and dark blue on the marble floor, tracing the shapes with his mind.
    “Did you know that they carted this marble all the way from the Aegean?” a voice asked at his shoulder.
    Constantine jumped, startled by the soft, yet firm timbre of the man’s voice. He turned his head to see a man sitting next to him, clad in the nondescript beige tunic and red belt that rendered him indistinguishable from the innumerable functionaries that populated the administration center.
    “The government taxed the locals to pay for it, regardless of whether they wanted it or not. It depressed the economy for about thirty years,” the man rumbled on, ignoring the wide-eyed stare of the younger tribune. “That money could have been spent back in Rome, could have been put to good use. By my calculations, the amount spent on marble here could have fed the populace of Rome for a year. Not well, mind you, but amply, for an entire year. And instead we get . . . this grandiose building in one of our northernmost provincial capitals that’s never had an emperor visit.” The man’s voice never changed tone, only the slight inflection at the end decrying the point he was making.
    Constantine spoke. “It reminds the locals that they are part of something bigger, something that keeps them safe and protected from our enemies.”
    The man turned and offered his hand. “Quintus Gravus,” he stated simply, shaking Constantine’s hand. “You make a valid point, but I still don’t think making a political statement is the same as feeding a metropolis for a year. Especially when all you do is walk on it.”
    Constantine thought for a moment. “You’re probably right,” he replied. “But what’s done is done. I don’t think tearing up the floors now would be the best idea. ‘The government over the people for the good of the people.’” In reciting the old Imperial adage, Constantine earned a critical look from Gravus.
    “I figured you’d say that. I’m actually here with an offer for you.” Constantine’s eyebrows rose. “I’m attached to General Minnicus’ staff as the civilian liaison, and he’d like to offer you a position on his general staff as tactical officer. You’d receive a pay bump commiserate to your new position, and also have access to a staff of your own