Gods and Legions by Michael Curtis Ford Page A

Helena, riding in a separate litter behind, remained veiled. A group of hermit soldiers behind us broke into an ill-tuned but enthusiastic hymn, to raise their spirits.
    'Caesar...' I began, but he waved me off wearily.
    'Don't mock me, Caesarius. I've always been simply Julian to you, and just because I've been invested with a sham title doesn't make me royalty. My own name will do perfectly well.'
    He smiled wanly, closing his eyes for a moment as if in great weariness.
    'I didn't sleep well last night,' he said, after a pause. 'The pressures of command, I imagine, if you can call them that. How ironic. Following the path of my predecessor, Julius Caesar, to recapture what he had so brutally and magnificently seized four hundred years ago. Is it man's destiny to constantly repeat his mistakes, to gain Rome and then lose it?'
    'That is not his destiny, but it is his will. May I speak with you frankly?'
    'I would have it no other way.'
    'You are on your own now, all the way to Vienne. That is dangerous. You are your own master, for the first time in months, perhaps in your entire life. That is a boon. You have three hundred sixty singing monks, who at this point are more a source of amusement than protection. That is potentially... well... whatever we make it to be. You also have an ample supply train, though precisely what supplies it contains is anyone's guess, for the Emperor appears to have neglected to assign you a quartermaster. And you have four Roman army officers to advise you, several of whom, I'm afraid, are rather on the knavish side.'
    At this, Julian straightened out of his lethargic slouch and looked up at me with frank interest.
    'Perhaps,' I continued tentatively, 'this would be a good time to discuss the qualities of your "advisers"? At least as far as I know them?'
    'And how far do you know them?'
    'I confess that it is largely by observation, rather than firsthand acquaintance. But I am a physician, Julian – I have some skill at diagnosing men, both body and temperament. I have lived at court, I have heard the eunuchs and courtiers whisper, I have seen whom the Emperor trusts, whom he despises—'
    'Enough!' Julian interrupted with an uneasy chuckle. 'No need to display your credentials, I'm convinced. By all means – tell me about my "advisers."'
    I looked curiously at the litter-bearers, whose hooded gazes betrayed no interest in our conversation, but who were within easy earshot nevertheless.
    'Perhaps we should speak in Greek,' I suggested, to which he nodded his relieved consent.
    'The first two of your advisers,' I continued, 'are Pentadius and Gaudentius. If I did not already know that Constantius has no sense of humor, I would think that these jackasses had been assigned to you as a joke. They are utterly worthless as officers, though they have on occasion proven their skills at pandering and pimping for the generals they have served. I can't imagine that the Emperor thought they could be of use to you, so I can only conclude that he sent them to relieve himself of the burden of maintaining them in Milan. In any event, they're yours now, until you decide how best to chase them off.'
    Julian sighed. 'Another fine omen for beginning our journey. Who else do we have?'
    I paused. 'The third man is Paul, who is not actually an officer, but rather a sycophant of Constantius, and a spy.'
    'You mean the Spaniard, the one they call the Chain? He looks innocent enough but I notice he always seems to be whispering in the Emperor's ear.'
    'The same,' I confirmed, 'much to your ill-fortune.'
    'Oh? Why that epithet, the Chain?'
    'He gained it several years ago, when the Emperor sent him to Britain to fetch back certain officers who had been accused of conspiracy. He went far beyond his original instructions, and descended like a whirlwind over the entire province, seizing goods and chattel and even entire estates in the name of Constantius. He placed a huge number of free men and citizens in handcuffs, and