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“The life of the heart.” He stared at me.

DINNER IN THE garden that night was a tense affair. Klaudia joined us, and we discussed what should be done about the Imperator’s inevitable summons. Finally, after the dishes were cleared and the wine poured, Sebastianus and I took everyone through the logic behind my theory that the lost cave city was under Casa Caligine.

Cassius spoke first. “In any situation,” he said quietly, “it’s easy to believe what you most want to be true. Remember, a coincidental occurrence does not mean that two or more things are causally related.”

“What do you mean?” Klaudia asked.

“I mean that even if both Arcadius and Straba visited Corlivo, and even if the laundry grotto Anna describes is the very site of the original shine to the mountain goddess, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the caves must be on that spot. You’re making an unsupported leap of logic.”

“This feels right to me,” I said. “It’s a feeling.”

“It’s a gamble.” Don took a long drink of wine. “And by the lightning-blasted gods, why are we talking about this instead of talking about how to get Anna safely out of Panpirion?”

“But that’s my point,” I said. “We should go to Corlivo and look for the caves. Imagine if we find them? Jovinian will be delighted.”

“It doesn’t mean he’ll lose interest in you,” Don said.

“I still can’t believe you went alone to his garden,” Klaudia said. “Your courage astounds me.”

“As Anna suggests,” Sebastianus said, “We could try to get out of Panpirion unnoticed and ride for the Kotol.”

“Anna won’t be able to walk back into Casa Caligine,” Don said. “She’s not under contract there anymore, and she can hardly present herself as a guest.”

“I can present myself as a guest.” Klaudia flipped her long braid over her shoulder. “She and I could go together. A ladies’ trip to the mountain city.”

“The very earth trembles,” Cassius said dryly.

Sebastianus shook his head. “There’s no need for you to be caught up in this, Klaudia.”

Klaudia threw her napkin onto her empty plate. “Oh, come on. I’m already caught up in this. I want to do something more than spend my days in a villa. I want to help.”

“Seb,” Don said, “if you’re riding for the mountains, you’ll need me with you. Depth perception, movement with that leg—”

“Yes, by all means, chronicle all my weaknesses and failings,” Sebastianus said. “You might recall that I hit a tiger’s eye dead-on at twenty paces. My depth perception can’t be that bad.”

“If we’re going to go, we will want to leave before winter settles into the mountains,” I said. “Few visitors brave the trip to the city once the weather turns.”

Sebastianus shook his head. “Jovinian won’t wait nearly that long. Let’s think about it for another day and then make a plan.”

xxiii

WE DIDN’T GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO THINK ABOUT IT for even another day. Two soldiers arrived at the villa with a message for Sebastianus early the next morning. Don brought the scroll to us in the study. Deep lines of worry were etched into his face.

Sebastianus spread the parchment out on the table and began to read.

“Nephew—Deliver your intriguing Corlivo woman to me. I’ll look after her while you ride for Ohrid. Agrias has troubled our borders for too long. It is time we did something definitive about it. His son has signaled a willingness to be more cooperative. I trust you will help him achieve his ambition. Leave tomorrow. When you return, I will hear more about the proof you have that Arcadius’s treasure is still out there. I may be able to spare some small provision for an expedition.”

I picked up the letter and scanned it. The hand that had written it was strong: thick vertical strokes with slashes of punctuation. The Imperator’s seal was stamped at the bottom: an eagle with the letters J and I interwoven. “He’s sending you away.”

Sebastianus gritted his teeth in frustration. “By the gods, such an efficient communication. This letter lets me know that he’s not pleased that I have concealed you from him, that he wants you to himself for a while, and that he considers funding for a small expedition to be reasonable compensation for giving you up.”

Don took the parchment from me and studied it. “Also, he wants you to kill King Agrias so his son can assume the throne.”

Sebastianus turned a quill over in his fingers.

“Is that the sort of thing you would do for him?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I’ve done such things in the past, I’m sorry to say.”