'He would have appreciated the gesture,' said the haruspex, clapping him on the shoulder. 'You fought in the African campaign, then?'

'Yes. Ruspina was like Carrhae,' revealed Romulus. 'We had almost no cavalry, while the Numidians had thousands. It should have been a massacre, but Caesar never lost his cool.' He went on to describe his attack on Petreius, as well as the battle at Thapsus.

'I'd heard that the Pompeians' elephants hadn't had the same success as the Indian ones did against the Forgotten Legion.'

Romulus' guilt over Brennus resurfaced with a vengeance and he told the haruspex about how he'd saved Sabinus at Thapsus.

Tarquinius' face grew sombre, and when Romulus was finished he did not say anything for a few moments. They walked on in silence until Romulus realised that the haruspex was studying the sky, the air and everything around him. Trying to see if anything would be revealed about Brennus. His heart rate shot up.

'It's too far away. I can see nothing,' Tarquinius said at length. He sounded disappointed.

Romulus felt his shoulders slump. He jerked them back forcibly. 'If I can drive off an elephant, what could Brennus do?' he demanded. 'He could still be alive!'

'Indeed he could,' the haruspex admitted.

Romulus grabbed his arm, hard. 'Did you have any idea that this might happen?'

Tarquinius met Romulus' gaze squarely. 'No. I thought that Brennus would meet his death by the River Hydaspes, avenging his family. I saw nothing beyond that.'

Romulus nodded in acceptance. 'Did you look further, though?'

'No,' Tarquinius replied with an apologetic glance. 'Who'd imagine that one man could fight an elephant, and live?'

Romulus could not bear the idea of his beloved comrade and mentor facing torments and dangers without him by his side. Swallowing, he changed the subject. 'What happened to you in Alexandria?' he asked. 'Why did you disappear?'

Tarquinius looked awkward. 'I was ashamed,' he said simply. 'I thought you'd never forgive me for not telling you before, and that I deserved to die.'

The pain in his voice tore at Romulus' heart, and again he thanked Mithras for bringing them together. 'It didn't warrant that,' he said.

'Well, I'm still here.' Tarquinius' lips twisted upwards in a wry smile. 'The gods haven't finished with me. Of course I never foresaw more than a return to Rome with you. Once we were parted, I was unsure what to do.'

'Did you not sacrifice, or attempt to divine?'

'Constantly.' He frowned. 'But I kept seeing the same confusing images. I could make no sense of them, so I went to study in the library, thinking that something might be revealed.'

Romulus was all ears. 'Did it?'

'Not really. I saw danger in Rome, but couldn't be sure if it was to you, or Fabiola, or someone else entirely.' The haruspex sighed. 'I did see Cleopatra, though.' He lowered his voice. 'When she was pregnant with Caesar's child.'

Startled, Romulus jerked around. The Egyptian queen and her son had recently been installed in one of Caesar's residences in the city, provoking much talk among the population. Despite being married, the dictator was publicly honouring his mistress. Romulus hadn't given it much thought before, but what Fabiola had just told him changed things completely. If she was right, they and Cleopatra's child were half-siblings. His mind boggled.

To his alarm, Tarquinius' dark eyes were studying him closely.

Romulus looked away. He wasn't ready to share that information just yet, or Fabiola's demand that they kill Caesar. What he needed was time to think about it all, and to decide what he should do.

The haruspex didn't ask him anything. Instead, his story unfolded, leading right up to his drunken encounter with Fabricius, which had unexpectedly won him a passage back to Italy. 'I never thought to return here,' Tarquinius said. 'Although it has taken this long to know why, it was the right thing to do. Being there to stop Gemellus was a true blessing.'

'You also saved Fabiola's life,' Romulus added gratefully.

The haruspex smiled. 'I should have guessed that both of you could have been in danger.'

'You said that Gemellus was your owner once,' Mattius piped up.

'Yes,' Romulus answered. 'He mistreated my mother terribly, and beat us regularly for the most trivial reasons.'

'Sounds like my stepfather,' said the urchin darkly. 'He deserved to die then, surely?'

Romulus' face grew sombre. 'Perhaps. I'm glad that I spared his life, though. Revenge should not be the only reason for living.'

Mattius fell silent, making Romulus wonder what his family situation was like. He'd have to find out. Falling into a reverie about the day's events, he missed Tarquinius' approving look. After all his travails, the gods had shown him their favour once more. His only worry was Fabiola's shocking revelation, which still hadn't fully sunk in. He couldn't stop thinking about it either. After all he'd been through under Caesar – the marching, the fighting and killing – how could it be that the dictator had raped their mother? Damn it all, Romulus thought. I love the man, as does every legionary in his entire army. But I hate the bastard who raped my mother.

Tarquinius' hand on his arm startled him. 'This is it.'

Romulus looked up. They were high on the Palatine Hill, a wealthy area, and although plain, the high wall of the house before them was an imposing sight. 'The Mithraeum is here?' he asked in surprise, remembering the veterans' ragged look.

'Left to them by a wealthy army officer who'd converted to the religion,' Tarquinius disclosed. 'It's even more impressive inside.' He rapped on the door in a staccato pattern.

'Who goes there?' came the challenge from within.

'Tarquinius, and another friend.'

The portal partly opened and a stolid veteran peered out. Seeing Romulus behind the haruspex, his face split into a grin. 'This must be Fabiola's brother. Enter.'

Romulus bid farewell to Mattius, who promised to call by each morning. Following Tarquinius inside, he was bowled over by the first thing he saw: an immense, brightly painted statue of Mithras crouched over the bull, which dominated the atrium. The oil lamps that burned in alcoves all along the hallway gave the figure a most forbidding air. He made a deep bow, remaining in obeisance for several heartbeats to show his respect and awe.

The doorman was watching him when he straightened. 'It has that effect on everyone. The atmosphere in the Mithraeum is even more intense.'

Self-conscious, Romulus grinned. Already he felt at home.

'You'll want a wash and a good meal first,' Tarquinius butted in. 'I can take you to the temple later.'

Looking down at Scaevola's blood on his arms, Romulus nodded. With his headache and weariness combined, he felt utterly drained. It was a familiar feeling after combat. With luck, though, he was done fighting for a while. How good it would be to take up Sabinus' invitation and visit him on his farm, Romulus thought.

After he'd sorted things out with Fabiola. His stay in the domus proved to be a welcome break. Because Romulus was a devotee of Mithras, the veterans received him as another comrade. Knowing that Fabiola would need time to re-establish herself in Brutus' good books, Romulus took the opportunity to catch up on lost sleep, and to think. Accompanied by the limpet-like Mattius, he made a brief visit to the honour guard's camp, seeking out Sabinus and the rest of the unit to let them know he wasn't dead. The legionaries' bleary faces, wine-stained tunics and demands that he join them for more revelry were not hard to refuse. Making his excuses, and promising to visit Sabinus, Romulus headed back to the veterans' house. The previous period of riotous celebrations had left him exhausted. A contemplative life of regular meals, prayer and rest was like manna from heaven. Of course it was more than just a need to take it easy. As Romulus soon realised, what he was doing was trying to decide how he felt about Caesar raping his mother, being the dictator's son, and Fabiola's demand that they kill him.