Steven Saylor - A Mist of Prophecies

"She had been acting, you see. It was all a performance-the nervousness, the fidgeting, the fit. I was furious, at first. Caesar was delighted. She won him over on the spot. If she could fool both of us, then surely she could fool anyone."

"I don't understand. Did she truly suffer from the falling sickness or not?"

"Oh, yes, she was subject to fits. She suffered more than one, staying in this house. But she had also learned to mimic those fits so convincingly that no one could tell the difference. That skill, among her others-not least her intelligence, for I don't think I've ever met a woman more intelligent than Cassandra-made her ideal for the role Caesar had in mind.

"Before he left for Greece, Caesar briefed her very closely, taking more time with her than with any of his other agents. She learned the name and family history of every important woman in Rome. More than that, she learned everything we could glean about those women's personal habits, their eccentricities and superstitions, their dreams and fears. She took copious notes on wax tablets, but kept them only long enough to memorize every detail. Then she would rub the tablets clean. She kept everything in her head.

"When Caesar was satisfied, she left this house and made her first appearances in the city. It wasn't long before people were talking about the madwoman in the Forum. I remember being at a dinner party and trying not to smile the first time I heard her mentioned. Overnight, everyone seemed to know about the mysterious woman who could see the future, even though no one had any idea who she was or where she came from. It was said that if she stared into a flame, she could induce such visions at will.

"Her method was simple. She would wait until a woman invited her home, or in some cases, practically kidnapped her. Inducements would be offered-money, food, shelter. Soon the lamp would be produced. Cassandra would oblige by staring at the flame, suffering a fit and going into a trance, then uttering cryptic but transparent prophecies based on what she knew about her hostess. Cassandra would tell each woman what that woman wanted to hear. There's no surer way to gain a person's confidence. With Cassandra, they let down their guard. They became naked before her-vulnerable, frightened, ambitious, boastful. They said things they would never have said to anyone else. Many more women consulted her than the handful who came to see her burn. Half the senators' wives in Rome have had Cassandra in their houses."

I thought of the women I had spoken to. Terentia, Tullia, and the Vestal Fabia had all accepted Cassandra's prophetic powers without question. What bits of information about Cicero and Dolabella, not to mention the inner workings of the Vestal Virgins, had they inadvertently let slip while Cassandra was in their presence?

"What about Fulvia?" I said. "Cassandra gave Fulvia specific details about Curio's death-the battle in the desert, the fact that he was beheaded. This was before anyone in Rome even knew that Curio was dead."

"Anyone but Caesar."

"What do you mean?"

"When the messenger from Africa arrived in Rome, he went directly to Caesar and to no one else. Caesar was distraught, of course. Curio was like a son to him. Caesar had had such great hopes for Curio; that was why he gave him the African command. But as Caesar says, information is like gold: one must spend it wisely. Secretly he met with Cassandra in this room and told her the details. The next morning, from informants in Fulvia's household, we learned that Fulvia intended to call on friends that day, and we determined the route she would take. Cassandra waited along that route. When Fulvia passed by in her litter, Cassandra pitched her voice to sound like a whisper, just loud enough to reach Fulvia's ears. She said-"

I remembered the words that Fulvia had quoted to me, and spoke them back to Calpurnia: " 'He's dead now. He died fighting. It was a brave death.' "

Calpurnia nodded. "Exactly. Those were the very words Caesar told her to say. Fulvia stopped, of course. She took Cassandra home with her. And when Cassandra revealed the specific details of Curio's end, which were later confirmed, it seemed like a true vision from the gods. Thus Cassandra won Fulvia's unquestioning trust, along with that of her mother, Sempronia."

"And meanwhile Caesar kept the news of Curio's death to himself?"

"He swore the messenger to secrecy and told no one, not even Marc Antony-not even me-for two days. Information is gold. By spending that particular nugget of information with the utmost discipline, Caesar bought Fulvia's faith in Cassandra."

"But Curio died fighting for Caesar. Why send a spy into his widow's house?"

"Why not? We wanted to know the temper of that household and anything those two women might be secretly planning. Don't let her grieving fool you, Gordianus. Fulvia is still madly ambitious. So is Sempronia. Many a time I've told Caesar, 'We have to watch those two, especially the daughter. No matter that she's married to Curio, no matter that Marc Antony's married to his cousin-mark my words, Fulvia has her eye on our Antony, and if those two should ever join forces… beware!' "

I shook my head. "But for now, Antony remains married to Antonia. She saw through Cassandra's pretense."

"Yes. With Antonia, Cassandra made a grave miscalculation. She acted on her own initiative, outside her mission for Caesar."

"Not entirely her own initiative. It was Cytheris who put her up to making a distressing prophecy to Antonia."

"I know. Cassandra confessed as much to me when I pressed her. She said that Cytheris had known her in Alexandria, and threatened to expose her if she didn't do a favor for her. Cassandra argued that her prophecy to Antonia was only a small matter. I disagreed, and I chastised her quite severely for destroying any chance to build a bond of trust with Antonia. That was stupid of Cassandra, and certainly not a part of Caesar's plan. It was also my first indication that Cassandra seemed to be slipping out of my control."

"Only the first indication?"

"Her affair with you was another. That should never have happened. She knew from the beginning that she was not to form any such bond with any man while she was in Caesar's employ."

"Her time with me was not a part of Caesar's plan?"

Calpurnia looked at me shrewdly. "You're worried that it might have been otherwise? That perhaps Cassandra sought you out and seduced you merely to gain your confidence? No. Not in her role as Caesar's agent. She was acting on her own initiative when she formed whatever bond grew between you."

"How is it that you know about it, then?"

She smiled. "Purely by surmise. Why else would you have shown such an interest in Cassandra after her death, unless you were her lover?"

I made no reply.

She shrugged. "Who can explain the mysteries of Venus? Cassandra managed to keep your affair a secret even from me; that's why she could never bring you here, where the two of you would have been much more comfortable than in that hovel in the Subura. You were her little secret, just as she was yours." Calpurnia looked at me thoughtfully. "To be sure, even before Cassandra met you, she knew who you were from the very thorough briefings Caesar gave her. And of course, she was acquainted with your son-with Meto, I mean. Meto was present at some of those briefings. That young man has a flair for this sort of thing-playacting, secret codes, hatching plots under the rose."

"Cassandra knew Meto? She never told me."

"How could she, without giving away the fact that she was Caesar's agent? To have told you would have exposed you to the same dangers she faced. You might have shared her fate."

"Her fate." I tasted the word like wormwood on my tongue. "Do you know who killed her?" I asked, half suspecting now that it must have been Calpurnia herself.