Kevin Ashman - Mortuus Virgo

‘What do you know about politics, Virgin?’ he asked.

‘Very little, Sire. ’

‘You know what a Senate is?’

‘Of course, Sire, the political body that acts in the interests of every citizen, guided of course by your own glorious hand.’

‘By my hand,’ he scoffed, ‘A jest indeed, Virgin, a generation ago perhaps but these days they steer their own course.’

‘Perhaps so, sire but their actions can never detract from the good that has arisen from your great guidance.’

‘My guidance? And what would someone who has spent more than half their life locked in a tiny cell know about such things?’

‘It is true many of the ways of the world are strange to me but I am aware that your rule brought happiness to the downtrodden until…’

‘Until what?’ he asked.

‘Forgive me, sire but I think perhaps you may have become distracted.’

He looked at her in astonishment.

‘You are free indeed with your tongue Virgin,’ he said, ‘Take care you do not raise my ire.’

She looked deep into his eyes.

‘Sire, your majesty is undoubted, your glory is without question and everyone in the city whispers your name in awe. But do not the words of those nearest to you ring hollow? Do you not crave words of truth from someone who has nothing to gain from agreeing with your every sentence?’

‘Continue!’ he said intrigued.

‘Sire, I am nothing more than a servant to the Goddess. I hold no political ambition and have nothing to gain by pandering to your every word. If I offend then I can only apologise but the path I have chosen is one of truth.’

He stared at her for a long time before tilting his head back and roaring with laughter.

‘By the gods, Virgin he laughed, your impudence astounds me. I grace you with an audience and within minutes you criticise my rule with tangled words of hidden meaning.’

She smiled at him while he wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes.

‘I like you’ Virgin,’ he said eventually, ‘For the first time in an age my ears detect no ulterior motive and your candour refreshes me, I would hear more.’

Her eyes closed briefly as she nodded her head in acceptance.

‘So, Virgin,’ he said, ‘Now the level between has been agreed I would seek your view on a political situation that irks me.’

‘If the Goddess has blessed me with the knowledge sire then I will convey my view with truth and candour.’

Nero stood up and walked around Rubria with his hands behind his back.

‘Bearing in mind your extraordinary person and henceforth privileged position, I shall accept no less. Therefore, Rubria, Priestess of Vesta, ask your Goddess this,’ He turned to look back at her, his head tilted to one side, ‘Should I make my horse a Senator?’

Several hours later the High Priestess and Rubria sat in an antechamber of the Vestal Temple partaking of their evening meal. The citrus fruit segments were the perfect antidote for the rich slabs of meat and Garum sauce they had just finished and though the meal was delicious Rubria was still getting used to the higher quality of life she enjoyed as a Priestess than an Acolyte.

‘So how did it go?’ asked the Priestess eventually.

Rubria took a deep breath.

‘To be honest, Holy Mother, I am not quite sure what to say. The conversation ranged from the ordinary to the ridiculous.’

‘Do you think he has lost his mind?’

‘Oh no. I think that despite the bizarre nature of some of his edicts he knows exactly what he wants and what he is doing. He harbours a deep distrust of the Senate and sees them as an obstacle that must be overcome in order to achieve his plans.’

‘And did he expand on those plans?’

‘No, Mother.’

‘He did not mention anything about his proposed golden palace.’

‘Not really, except to say he had plans for Rome that would eclipse all other rulers that have gone before him, kings and Emperors.’

‘But you think you can gain his trust?’

‘I believe I have started on the road but have a long way to go.’

‘Let’s hope so, the state of mind he is in who knows what fate lies in store for our order. Does he want to see you again?’

‘Yes, Mother, on the morrow.’

‘Okay,’ she said, ‘You will be excused your vigil at the flames but be careful, let us not forget this is the man who took the life of his own mother when he saw no more use for her.’

‘The Goddess will protect me,’ said Rubria.

The high Priestess smiled.

‘You may retire,’ she said and Rubria stood to leave.

‘Oh, one more thing, Rubria,’ she said, ‘Did he mention the Palladia?’

‘No, Mother, said Rubria, ‘I believe that at the moment, the secrets are safe!’

London 2010

‘First of all,’ said India, ‘I need you to understand the great changes that were going on across the world at the time. As you probably know, the Earth has undergone many ice ages throughout her history and undoubtedly will again. These ice ages are interspersed with warmer interglacial periods that are themselves divided by interstadial periods of cold and warmth lasting a few years to several thousand. You could say that the planet is in one of these interstadial periods right now and the next ice age is just around the corner, geologically speaking. Ten thousand years ago we were still in the closing throes of a particularly long ice age. The planet had been gripped by the cold for over a hundred thousand years but at last the climate got warmer.’

‘The world was covered in ice?’ asked Brandon

‘No not the world, that’s a common misconception. The ice at the poles was much thicker, along with most of the northern hemisphere but from the Alps southwards, the weather was much milder and this was where humanity retreated to avoid the cold. However, even here there would have been glaciers in the mountains.’

‘What has all this to do with Isis?’

‘I’ll get to that, bear with me, this is important. Around that time humanity was spread far and wide throughout the area. Evidence is coming to light of many different cultures that were fairly advanced, especially in the east. Archaeologists have found pottery, arrows and even burials from that age suggesting a level of civilisation and trade. It seems it was a hunter gatherer society and smaller tribes would have been in abundance throughout the warmer continents. The rainforests were wider spread and even the Sahara was green with trees and scrubland covering the whole area. But though there was an abundance of people there seemed to be little, if any cohesion between smaller groups. At the time a particular fertile area would have been the black sea valley, a huge, natural basin covering over 169,000 square miles, almost twice the size of Great Britain today. It would have been fertile, had a warm climate with good hunting and plenty of fresh drinking water from the lake, an ideal location for human habitation.

‘Wait a minute,’ said Brandon, ‘The Black Sea is salt water. I know, I’ve been there on holiday.’

‘Your right,’ she said ‘It is, but it wasn’t always so. Anyway, this land was probably populated with thousands of individual tribes and clans, all living independent of each other, and though there was plenty of trading going on, you could say the time was right for someone with a vision to exploit the situation.’

‘Isis?’

‘No not Isis, she came a couple of thousand years later, this person was called Assur.’

‘How do you know?’

‘Fair point,’ said India, ‘We can’t be sure but there are many fables and stories passed down through many cultures that hint at his existence. For now, let’s just accept that Assur was a real person sometime after the end of the ice age. Anyway, according to Pagan beliefs Assur saw an opportunity to bind the many different groups together in one great tribe around the lake. Legend has it; he coordinated the sharing of resources, leading the indigenous people away from their reliance on hunter gathering and into agriculture. History shows us right across the world that once a civilisation accepts and masters farming, whether livestock or crops then with the support of a suitable climate, that society flourishes. Well this was perfect timing for Assur. The landscape was ideal; the lands fertile, the climate warm and a steady rainfall ensured the growing conditions were perfect. No one knows where he came from but we can imagine he was of eastern descent due to the knowledge he possessed.’