Jack Whyte - The Skystone

"To subjugate the people. That is good. " A pause, then, "Your people subjugate the world, Roman! "

Caius considered that. "That is true. "

"But that is different? When did you last have kings, Roman?"

"Long ago. "

"Before the Empire?"

"Before the Republic. "

"But before the Empire?" His voice was rich with sarcasm.

"Aye. Long before. "

"And you found them unworthy because they tried to dominate you. So you got rid of them. What was it you said? You... abolished them. And then you turned around yourselves to dominate all men. " It was well put. Caius had no answer. I decided I was well out of this. The big Celt spoke again.

"Roman, you have set out in the past four years to establish yourself as a force upon my borders. Why?"

Caius shrugged his shoulders. "My name is Caius Britannicus. Call me that, or Britannicus. "

"Why? Do you dislike 'Roman'? You have not answered me. Why are you setting up a military force upon my borders?"

"We were unaware that you had borders. Or that our Colony was close to them!"

"Colony? What is this, this Colony? Are you trying to anger me, Roman?"

This "king" was being nasty with a purpose; I felt sure of it. And I felt that Caius knew it, too. If he felt anger, he was concealing it well.

"Have you ever met a king before today, Roman?" Caius's response was curt. "Several. I liked none of them. They were all petty tyrants. Every one. "

I winced inwardly, gritting my teeth. Tension was knotting my stomach.

"And I? Am I a tyrant? Have you heard stories of my tyranny?"

"No, I have not. I had not even heard of your kingship, as you know. What do you want of me?"

"Much, Roman. " Ullic was eyeing Caius steadily. "My people tell me you are training an army on my threshold. Why? What, or whom, do you look to conquer now?"

"Conquer?" Caius's fists clenched by his sides, and I could now see the anger seething in him. He glanced at me, looking grim, and then turned his eyes back to Ullic defiantly. "We look to conquer nothing. We seek only to defend ourselves!"

"Against whom?" Again the sarcasm in Ullic's voice was heavy, but now Caius seemed determined not to respond to it.

"Not against whom, King Ullic, against what, you should ask. " His voice was as condescending as it could have been. In response to his tone, Ullic's voice was lower, more menacing.

"Against what, then, Roman, do you arm yourselves?" Caius said nothing. "Answer me, Roman, and take care. " His voice was soft now. "I do not like liars. "

Caius told me later that the moment of truth that comes to each man had caught up with him then. Something inside him, he said, quailed, and he was deathly afraid to say the words he suddenly knew to be true. He had to clench his teeth and swallow to quell a surge of vomit in his throat, feeling like a small boy caught with a guilty secret. He knew what he had to say. He knew the truth.

"I am no Roman!" It came out as four toneless, disconnected words. I could not believe what I had heard. As for Ullic, he looked at Caius sardonically, his right eyebrow climbing high as Caius's own was wont to do from time to time. Then he moved his eyes slowly down the toga-draped length of the man facing him.

"Your pardon, Caius Britannicus! I cannot think how I could make such a mistake. How I could think you Roman?" He bowed slowly from the waist. "But, if you are no Roman, what are you? You're no Celt!"

"I am a Briton, as are you!"

Ullic laughed, a roaring bark of laughter. "A Briton? You? Boudicca was a Briton, man! So was Caradoc — Caractacus, your people called him!

They and their people lived only to fight the likes of you! They were Britons! You are a foreigner. An invader!"

Caius's response was immediate and vehement. "Not so. King of Pendragon! I am a Briton, born and bred of generations born here in this land. True, my name is Roman, and my loyalties, the facile ones, have been Roman — until now! And true, no Celtic blood flows in my veins. But I am of Britain by my name, Britannicus; and I am Briton by birthright!" Ullic folded his arms in front of him during this outburst which could hardly have surprised him more than it did me, and leaned his back against one of the great stones that stood behind him. His eyes were fixed on Caius.

"Huh!" he said. "All right, for the sake of argument, I will call you Briton from now on. The original Britons were a tribe of Celts, you know. Your people all but wiped them out completely. But I will call you Briton, for now. You have yet to tell me why you train an army at my door! What is it that you seek defence against?"

Caius answered him squarely. "Against the end of the world. "

"The end of the world. " I heard amusement in Ullic's tone this time.

"The Roman world. " Caius corrected himself.

"I must be dull of wit today. Explain that. "

I found myself nodding my head slowly in agreement with Caius, willing him on.

"The Roman's day is over, " he said. "The Empire cannot survive much longer. It must fall. Soon. "

Ullic shook his head, pityingly. "But how can this be, friend Briton?

Rome is Eternal. All the Romans tell us so!"

Caius shook his head. "No. Rome is finished. The day will come, soon now, when the hordes outside will venture in. Rome no longer has the strength to keep them out. "

"And? So? How does this end the world?"

I looked at him in disbelief. Was he being humorous? Or could he really fail to see beyond the fall?

"When Rome falls, the world falls, King Ullic. " Caius spoke slowly and with great deliberateness. "The law ceases to exist. The army is no more. The cities starve. Their citizens go wild. There will be nothing to protect this land of Britain from invasion by people who will make the Roman invaders seem like children at play. Not a thing. Except the strengths her people build themselves. That is why we have moved onto your borders. We didn't know you had borders, but we do know that we can hold the land we have, and we can defend it against marauders for as long as we have to. "

Ullic was silent for a space of minutes, staring Caius in the eyes. Slowly, he turned his head to look at me, and I was aware that I had not spoken since we met. And then he turned back to Caius and smiled, and he was transformed from a figure of menace to man of great appeal and charm. It was astonishing. He held out his hand to Caius, and, mystified, Caius shook with him.

"Caius Britannicus, " he said, "you may well be the first of a new race. The non-Celtic Britons. Defend your land, and you defend my back. Defend my back, and I'll protect yours, too. Cymric! Send out the signal to prepare a feast! Our meeting here is done. Now we must tell the others what we have achieved. "

Seconds later I heard the blowing of a horn and then the sounds of cheering. I was in a state of shock, as was Caius. I felt an idiotic smile painted across my face as Ullic stepped across to me, his hand outstretched. I shook with him, feeling the giant strength in his mighty fingers.

"Publius Varrus, " he said, "we will have to change your name. You should be a Celt, with the love of iron that you have. "

"King Ullic... " I rasped, my voice dry from tension.

"Ullic will do. The 'King' is for display. I will be King again later. Now is the time for eating... " He stopped, staring across my shoulder.

"Britannicus, you train your men too well. They still stand at attention. Will you not allow them to stand down?"

"In a moment. Tell me, Ullic, why did you toy with me? It's obvious you knew the answers to your questions before you ever asked them. Was this fair?"

Ullic was smiling broadly now. "Fair? You mean just? Britannicus, I did not know you! I had to take the measure of the man. Varrus I knew about. But not Caius Britannicus. You hold your counsel closely to yourself. And so do I. Thus, if I were to know you, I must meet you face to face, and at your distinct disadvantage!" He grinned a giant grin. "I have met Romans whom I truly did not like, you know. "