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he
wearing?
    It could only be called a nightgown, made of
sheer purple silk that fell in flowing lines to the emperor’s bare
feet. He gave Petronius the barest glance as he approached, then
continued stroking the nose of the handsome animal behind the
gate.
    “You are not being very priestly today,” he said in a peeved tone to the horse. “I shall have to
defrock you if you’re not careful. Jupiter told me you haven’t been
saying your prayers and he is most displeased!”
    The horse snorted.
    Petronius stood at attention, vaguely
surprised and filled with a strange sense of hilarity mixed with
disdain. It was only the second time he’d spoken with the
emperor—but he had heard things. He had thought the soldiers were
joking, or at least exaggerating. Caligula turned away from his
unrepentant “priest” and minced toward one of the many windows that
lined the corridor, giving a languid gesture for the captain to
follow. The moon was exceedingly bright, and for a long time he
stared up at it, his expression rapt.
    Finally he said in a low, almost soothing
voice, “You are the officer of the night watchmen?”
    A shiver of unease crept over Petronius’
entire body. “Yes, my Lord.”
    “Why were they not told?”
    “Told what, sir?”
    The emperor’s head whipped around and his
face in the flickering red light was full of fury—a ghastly sight
that would have rendered a lesser man paralyzed with terror. But
Petronius…short, stocky and tough…was determined that this silly
creature was not going to intimidate him.
    “Paulus Valerius was seen in Rome more than a
month ago! And now I get word that he was actually at the gate, and
rode away without anybody lifting a finger to stop him! Why were
the watchmen at all the gates not told that I wanted him
found?”
    “But—” Petronius paused delicately.
    “What?” snapped the emperor.
    “You never gave the order, sir—Your Majesty.
You never actually told us to find him . We were told to
watch for the woman.”
    “You should have known ! It was
perfectly obvious. And why didn’t your guards even look at the
woman? It sounds as though you are running a very slipshod
operation, Petronius.”
    “My Lord, this woman was well-covered, and in
his surprise the guard did not think to detain them. It has been
many years since Tiberius Caesar had men looking for Valerius, and
most have forgotten it. But if you will allow me, I will pledge to
Your Majesty that I will find the man before the month of the
divine Augustus ends.”
    The staring eyes fixed on him curiously. “How
will you do that?”
    “If he is in Rome, I will find him. It must
not be an obvious search that would send him deeper into hiding. We
know in which general direction he traveled. He may have been
trying to mislead us, or perhaps he guessed we would think that,
and went toward his original destination. Nevertheless, I believe
that with the use of certain—resources—he can be quickly
found.”
    “Well, I’m not offering a reward! The
coffer is all but empty.”
    Petronius could believe that. Not only had
Caligula depleted the once swollen Treasury with profligate living,
he had often been seen standing on the roof of the Julia Basilica
with a shovel, and scooping gold to rain down on the rabble in the
streets below. No one knew exactly why, except that it obviously
amused him to see the mad scramble for coins…during which some
people were invariably crushed to death.
    He answered, “That will not be necessary, my
Lord.”
    Caligula’s gaze went back toward the window
and lifted to the moon, as though drawn there by some enchantment.
His voice grew soft again. “I want a description of him on the
walls of all the barracks. And of the woman he’s with.” He paused,
and almost whispered, “ The best and greatest . The army
called him that, you know. But now, that title belongs to me.”
    The captain, unlike the horse, refrained from
snorting.
    * * *
    Walking a few miles from his