Domina Victrix

Chapter 33: 24 AD, Ostia, Rome and Antioch

She looked at him as though she was seeing a ghost.

"My brother would be your age and he did go into the army," she said. "If you are my brother, you had two habits that drove us crazy."

Cornelius began cracking his knuckles, then rolled his tongue and made a sound like an owl. Tears spurted to Cornelia's eyes.

"It is you!" she cried out.

They embraced, ignoring the stares of the people around them. Burrus bought food at the counter and led them to a table.

"So are you in a legion?" she asked.

"Second Cohort of the Italian Band," he said. "We're in Antioch now."

"Where's that?" she asked.

When he explained, she gasped.

"Were you part of the army that beat Parthia?"

"Yes," Cornelius said.

"Why'd they crucify that boy?" she asked. "What was his story?"

"You would have to know Bolt," he said.

"You know Mark Antony's grandson?" she said.

"He's a very nice young man," Cornelius said. "Married, though, but nice."

She chuckled.

"Publius, I'm on number three. He's the best one yet, but no Mark Antony."

...

Junia sat alone in her father's townhouse, listening to Epona squeal and run around in the nursery upstairs. At three, she was putting words together and had a mind of her own.

"Where's Father?" she asked. "Where's Brother?"

"I don't know," her nursemaid responded.

Junia got up, poured some water in a basin and splashed her tearstained face. Gaius and Sejana had taken Lucillus that morning. Junia tried again to apologize to Sejana, who wanted none of it.

"Where are they sending Lucius?"

"To Gaul. What's it to you?" Sejana asked.

"I didn't mean to get Bolt and Juba in trouble," Junia said.

"You're either incredibly vicious or completely stupid," Sejana said. "You know our family is watched."

"Which is why it scared me when Juba said what he said and Bolt kept badmouthing that damn wreath. I could always talk to my father when I was upset and I did and it bit me in the ass."

"And then some," Sejana said. "But Juba and my Marcus will be posted in Egypt and Fortuna and I will take care of your son."

"Please let me know how he's doing," Junia said.

"I will," Sejana said.

Thinking over the conversation, Junia put her head in her hands and wept.

...

Julius looked at yet another batch of court documents as his head spun.

"This damn day needs to stop," he snapped.

Claudius took the documents and read them. The morning after Juba received his orders, the Praetorian escort that had arrested him and Juba in Brundisium left them both with Julius. Not sure he should venture home, Claudius decided to stay there until the Antioch contingent went on their way and, maybe, Tiberius forgot about the Antonys. What he read in the paperwork let him know that he would be staying with Julius for quite some time.