Wall of Stone
By Heather Robinson
In AD121 the Twentieth Legion of Rome stands at the northern frontier of Britannia. Forgotten, neglected and dour in spirit, they must still do their duty for an Empire whose meaning is becoming lost to them.
As the lives of the local Teviot family intertwine with the legion, relationships of love and bitter anguish unfurl. Will the invading army push north? Will the disputing native tribes unite in an uprising? Can Marcus be with Jolinda?
When peace is fragile, friendships count for everything...
EXCERPT
Julita was wishing the wine had been watered. It had been quite some time since she’d tasted such an exquisite vintage and her head was floating from drinking a little too much. Foolish woman, she chided herself silently. Now more than ever her husband was relying on her having a clear head. Her heart fluttered unnervingly at the thought of jeopardising his safety by uttering the wrong words, yet as much damage could be wreaked by remaining silent. The direct ear of the Emperor would unlikely be hers again. It was an opportunity she must grasp.
Tall, trim and strong with soft, wavy hair, her eyes were drawn to his beard. Some said he grew it to hide natural blemishes in his skin but there was no evidence of imperfection elsewhere. Perhaps it was grown for his love affair with all things Greek. It was widely known he’d received a lavish education in Greek culture. The people called him Graeculus, ‘the little Greek’ because of it.
When Peterna had served under Trajan in Dacia, Hadrian had held the public official post of Quaester, supervising financial affairs. Julita recalled Peterna remarking how unusual it was for a Roman of such high status to understand the tax system as Hadrian did. The man was passionately interested in detail and desperate to master things he didn’t already know, and possessed an extraordinarily good memory. Julita sipped at some water knowing that she must decide which path to walk along. Goddess Juno, mother of Mars, let me draw strength from your breath.
Hadrian wiped at his beard with a cloth and called for a toothpick. Julita waited with decorous patience for him to speak first, feeling the silence magnify as Hadrian fastidiously cleaned the dregs of the meal from his teeth.
“You have been through a regretful ordeal, your daughter must be weary.” Hadrian did not speak unkindly yet there was no denying the veiled instruction that Cloelia retire immediately. In truth, she was thankful to escape, feeling awed in Hadrian’s presence and finding the expected etiquette cloying. She was desperate to see Brutus. The freedom of travelling had lulled her to believe they had a future together, but the restrictions of Roman status were pressing down from every corner of the fort and intensified by the propinquity of the Emperor. Julita waited for the door to click shut behind Cloelia before speaking.
“Your Imperial Majesty, it is indeed the greatest honour for you to receive us, and with such kindness.” Julita was sincere, dipping her head in respect as she addressed Hadrian and continuing with her eyes looking down at the couch in deference, her nostrils flaring as the emotion threatened to spill. She would not allow tears before the Emperor. “It has been a difficult return to this island and the comfort of the fort and your protection is truly, truly welcome. We had heard you were travelling the Southern Provinces Sir. It is a mercy you were not or I fear my daughter and I would not be alive now. My family is in your service, Imperator.”
“Your husband has served Rome well during his career, decorated by my uncle during the Dacian Wars. I remember the ceremony Lady Maxinius.” Julita’s pulse smartened, sensing a ripple in his tone. “Is he still the loyal imperialist I knew him to be?” Julita raised her chin to meet the Emperor’s gaze. She would not cow where Peterna was concerned. This was her chance to fight for him.
“Sir, my husband holds Rome and his troops in his heart. He is concerned of a barbarian uprising on the northern frontier and feels strongly that the only way to have peace in Britannia is to sweep through the lands to the north of the border, thus claiming Caledonia to end this campaign.” Julita had shown her hand, the path was laid. “Extra troops were denied to him…” Julita swallowed nervously knowing this order had come from Hadrian, looking away briefly before gathering herself once more, “...he fervently believes this decision will begin the decline of Rome. He remains your loyal servant, Imperator.”
“So loyal that he questions my orders not to advance the frontier.” Julita was shaken by Hadrian’s directness and her breathing came in quick, shallow gasps as she waited for the Emperor to continue. “I am receiving reports that Legate Maxinius is increasing the level of activity in the area, inciting a rebellion even, rather than consolidating and controlling the region. That is treason. Do you speak in his defence for it?”
“Sir, yes I do! Sir, I implore you! My husband is a loyal soldier, a talented officer,” words began to fall in a flurry from Julita as her panic mounted. “I beg you will not judge his actions without experiencing the frontier for yourself. It is forsaken, bleeds strain and weeps spurious quiet so different to this Romanised south.” Julita swept her arm round to encompass the country in demonstration, knocking over a goblet but ignoring the spilling red stain on the pristine white cloth covering the table. “I was guilty of being blind to the dangers until I travelled south. The fort was my home, I rarely ventured from it. Peterna possesses the tactician’s skill to see beyond the current mood. Sir, I beseech you visit before condemning.”
“Amid arms the laws are silent.”
“Sir?” Julita was baffled by such a short and level response following her disclaim. Goddess Juno, have I said right?
“It is a quote by Cicero.” Hadrian would not be drawn for the moment. “Have you heard that the dome is being prepared to top the Pantheon in Rome?”
“I…yes,” Julita was too choked to add more, not able to make conversation with her husband’s fate, and therefore her own, hanging perilously.
“It is impressive, one hundred and thirty-eight feet in diameter. Two techniques, key to Roman construction, make it possible. Techniques that no other civilisation has mastered, the shape of an arch and the production of concrete. The stone for the Pantheon columns comes from quarries in Egypt, laboriously transported by carts to the Nile, up to Alexandria and on to Rome.” Hadrian’s eyes were alive with pride and passion that Julita was finding difficult to share. “It will be the greatest of Roman achievements in construction, a beacon of our power.”
Julita managed a weak reply.
“It is Peterna’s wish that I take our daughter to see the Pantheon.” It seemed the correct reply, as Hadrian broke in to a broad smile.
“And so it shall be. You will continue your journey to Rome. I will release two of my Imperial Guards to escort you. I have a mission for your previous escorts and a journey to make of my own…to the northern frontier.” Julita bit hard on her lower lip to keep from trembling with relief. Peterna would at least be heard directly.
“Thank you Imperator.”
“Amid arms the laws are silent – we sometimes need to bend the rules made in the Senate to fit the world of combat. An arch and concrete, your husband has much to learn.”
“You speak in riddles to me Sir, but I can speak with confidence when I say that your presence in the north will boost morale a thousand-fold.”
Wall of Stone is avaliable to purchase on Amazon
This book is also avaliable with #KindleUnlimited
Heather Robinson
Heather Robinson is a novelist and short story award winner from Wiltshire, UK. Her academic background includes a Bachelor of Science degree with most of her working life spent as an Administration Manager locally. She is also a qualified and experienced radio presenter, hosting a weekly show for Warminster Community Radio. Proud parents of two boys, Heather and her husband Graham share a passion for live music, hiking and motorcycling.
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