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.He had stripped her of most of her estate and then vanished from Ephesus.Perhaps, likeCalabah, he had simply boarded a ship and sailed away to Rome, where he would find afar more exciting life than watching her die slowly of someunnamed illness.She had learned only a few days ago that she had barelyenough money left to live in simple comfort.She could spare littlefor the kind of votive offerings to which the warden alluded: goldreplicas of the internal organs that pained her.It wasn't pain asmuch as it was a spreading weakness.the constant fevers, thenausea and sweats, spells of trembling, and the oozing sores inher secret places all drained her to the point of exhaustion."Why don't you kill yourself and have done with it?" Primussaid during what she later realized was their last conversationbefore he abandoned her."Put yourself out of misery."But she wanted to live! She didn't want to die and be in darknessfor the rest of eternity.She didn't want to die and face whateverunknown horror awaited her.She was afraid."I have very little money," she said, looking back at the warden, who sat silently waitingfor her to say something."My husband has taken most of my estate and left me.I haven'tenough to have votive offerings made of gold or silver or even brass.""A pity," he said without feeling.He rose."Your clothing is on the shelf.Please leave thetunic behind."She was stunned by his indifference.Alone again, she sat on the couch, too tired and despondent tofeel anything.She rose after a long time, removed the white garment she been given, andput on her own fine blue linen tunic.She touched her earlobes and throat where her lastpiecesof gold jewelry had been and let her hands drop to her sides.Shetook up her blue shawl with the elegant, expensive, embroideredflower trim and draped it over her head and shoulders.Tipping her chin slightly, she walked out into the corridor.Several attendants stopped herand asked how her night had gone, if the gods had answered her prayer.Smiling, she liedand said she was healed of her affliction."Asklepios be praised!" they said one after another.She walked quickly across the courtyard and through the propylon to the people-throngedstreet beyond.She wanted to be home.Not in her villa here in Ephesus.She wanted to beback in the villa in Rome, a child again.She wanted to return to the times when herwhole life stretched out ahead of her, brilliant and beautiful as the colors of dawn, freshand new, full of potential, full of opportunities.She wanted to start over.If only she could, how differently she would do things, howdifferently things would have turned out! She had thought Asklepios would give her that.She had thought her offerings, her vigils, her prayers would earn that for her.And he hadsent the snakes.He had sent the dogs.And yet she knew, deep within, that it was all for naught.Helpless rage filled her."Stone!That's all you are! You can't heal anyone! You're nothing but cold, dead stone!" Shebumped into someone."A curse on you, woman! Watch where you're going!" Bursting into tears, Julia ran.Chapter 11The Minerva landed in Caesarea Maritima at the beginning of thewarming of spring.Though the city was built by a Jewish king,Marcus found it as Roman, both in appearance and atmosphere,as the Eternal City in which he'd been reared.Four centuriesbefore, this same site had been settled by Phoenicians who built asmall, fortified anchorage called Strato's Tower, honoring one oftheir kings.The anchorage had been expanded and modernizedby Herod the Great, and he named his new city in honor ofEmperor Caesar Augustus.Caesarea had become one of the mostimportant seaports in the Empire and the seat for Roman prefectsgoverning Palestine.Herod had rebuilt the city with his eyes on Rome, borrowingmightily from the conquered Greeks.Hellenistic influence showedstrongly in the amphitheater, hippodrome, baths, and aqueducts.There was also the temple honoring Augustus, as well as the statuesto various Roman and Greek gods that continued to soenrage righteous Jews.Marcus was well aware that conflicts had often arisen betweenthe Jewish and Greek people of the city.The last bloody rebellionhad been sparked ten years before, only to be crushed by Vespasianand his son Titus before they had marched on against Jerusalem,the heart of Judea.Vespasian had been pronounced emperorhere in Caesarea and had promptly elevated the city to a Romancolony.Despite the iron grip of Rome upon the city, Marcus sensedthat unrest remained an undercurrent as he walked through thenarrow streets.Satyros warned him against entering certain sectionsof the city, and it was to those very sections that Marcuswent.These were Hadassah's people.He wanted to know whatmade them so stubborn and determined in their faith.He wasted no time in contemplating the violence that mightbefall him at the hands of zealots or sicarii.He was on a quest tofind Hadassah's god, and he wouldn't find him in the Romanbaths and arenas or in the homes of fellow Roman merchants.The information he needed lay in the minds of these Jewish patriotswho had the same stubbornness he had sensed in Hadassah.Within three days of his arrival, Marcus had purchased a strongdesert horse, supplies for his overland journey, and an itinerary showing roads, stationes,and civitates, all with distances between [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]