Rule of God (Book Three of the Dominium Dei Trilogy) Read Online Free Page B

than any single capital in Asia Minor. Who best to serve them than your family businesses? We all benefit, and Caesar will reward you like he has others who do business with me.”
    “This is true,” said Legate XII. “The Flavians know the East, and three governors so far in Asia Minor have been drawn from our ranks.”
    Throughout this exchange, the assassin from Ephesus hadn’t blinked once, Athanasius thought, his eyes still fixed on him as one of the servant girls brought in some sweets for dessert and slipped Athanasius a note.
    The assassin saw Athanasius palm it.
    “Then here is to all of you and your promotions,” said Dovilin, holding up his cup. “And to your XII Fulminate and XVI Flavia legions.”
    To which they all cheered each other and drank.
    Athanasius quickly glanced down at the note. It was from Cota and it simply read:
    media noctis inclinatio
    So Cota wanted a midnight rendezvous at the Angel’s Vault, Athanasius noted. When he looked up again, the assassin in the corner was gone.
    It was past midnight when Athanasius hurried outside the villa toward the stables, long after the legates had left with plenty of amphorae of wine, but presumably leaving behind the assassin to make short work of him. How? Was his long presence at the meeting and sudden disappearance meant to torture him? Whatever Dovilin’s intentions, it was certain he was not meant to survive this night.
    Athanasius calmly walked into the bunkhouse, bracing himself to meet his assassin, but found nobody waiting for him. He grabbed his sack and poked his head out.
    He could hear the girls washing the ceramics and utensils of the supper and chatting with each other at the kitchen, and he could see Brutus off by himself smoking some kind of rolled-up leaf and looking at the sky.
    He quietly worked his way around the bunkhouse to the back and merged with the shadows between the vineyard rows. Once he was a safe distance away, he broke into a run. In the morning the Dovilins would know he was gone for good. None of that mattered anymore, though, because if he survived what he had to do, he was never coming back to this place.
    •    •    •
    As Athanasius was fleeing the estate, the assassin Orion took his seat with Dovilin in the villa’s courtyard. He real name was Patraeus, and he was upset that Dovilin had not allowed him to kill Athanasius on sight. Now his target was out of sight, and Dovilin not only seemed unconcerned but intent on wasting even more time by pouring them both some more wine.
    Dovilin said, “I thought Athanasius was killed as Chiron in Rome a month ago.”
    “No, sir. He escaped somehow and killed the garrison commander on Patmos and then made it to Ephesus and again evaded capture.”
    Dovilin sipped his cup thoughtfully. “That doesn’t sound terribly efficient of our organization, does it?”
    “He clearly had help from the inside, sir,” Patraeus said, and finally took a sip of his cup. He preferred to avoid any wine while on a hunt, and the Dovilin brand was reputed to be more powerful than most, but it appeared he would insult his host otherwise.
    “Inside where, Patraeus?” Dovilin demanded. “Inside the Dei? Inside Rome? Inside the Church?”
    “Very hard to tell which is which these days, sir.”
    “Isn’t it?” Dovilin agreed, seeming to relax. “I knew it was Athanasius the moment I saw him on my doorstep.”
    Patraeus sincerely doubted that. “Then why didn’t you kill him?”
    “I will,” he said. “As soon as he leads us to the true identity of Cerberus.”
    “Look, sir. I was supposed to kill him on sight, send his head back to Rome in a box.”
    “You’ll get your head to send to Domitian in the morning, Patraeus, and I’ll get Cerberus.”
    Patraeus opened his mouth to say something when he felt a tug inside his throat. Everything inside him began to constrict, and he dropped to his knees gagging.
    Poison!
    “You have been as much a help to the Dei in your death