The first true steam engine ever built in Rome—or anywhere in the world, so far as he knew. He had not seen its like even during his long visit to Malwa India. The thing itself was not much more than a toy, but it was the model for the first locomotive which was already being planned. The day would come when Belisarius would be able to shuttle his troops from one campaign to another in the same way he had seen Aide describe in visions. Visions of a terrible carnage in the future which would be called the American Civil War.
A voice drew him back to the present.
“Seventeen years,” mused Justinian sadly. “Whereas I, according to the jewel, will live to a ripe old age.” Pain came to his ravaged face. “I had always hoped she might outlive me,” he whispered. Justinian squared his shoulders.
“So be it. I will give her seventeen good years. The best I can manage.”
“Yes,” said Belisarius.
Justinian shook his head. “God, what a waste. Did the jewel ever show it to you, Belisarius? That future that would have been, had the Malwa never risen? The future where I had you ravage the western Mediterannean in the name of reconstituting Roman glory? Only to see half the Empire die from the plague while I used the royal treasury to build one grandiose, useless monument after another?”
“The Hagia Sophia was not useless, Justinian,” demurred Belisarius. “It was—would have been—one of the world’s genuine glories.”
Justinian snorted. “I will allow that one exception. No—two. I also codified Roman law. But the rest? The—” He snapped his fingers. “That secretary of yours. You know, the foul gossip. What’s his name?”
“Procopius.”
“Yes, him. That fawning toad even wrote a book glorifying those preposterous structures. Did you see that?”
“Yes.”
Michael spoke. “I hear you’ve dispensed with the reptile’s services, now that you no longer need him to pass false rumors to the enemy. Good riddance.”
Belisarius chuckled. “Yes, I did. I doubt very much that Malwa spies place any more credence in his claims that Antonina was spending all her time at our estate in Syria holding orgies in my absence.”
“Not after she showed up at the Hippodrome with her force of Syrian grenadiers and smashed the Nika insurrection!” barked Justinian. The former emperor rubbed his eye-sockets. “Since he’s out of work, Belisarius, send him to me. I’ll give him a book to write. Just the kind of fawning propaganda he wrote for me in another future. Only it won’t be called The Buildings. It’ll be called The Laws, and it will praise to the skies the Grand Justiciar Justinian’s magnificent work providing the Roman Empire with the finest legal system in the world.”
Justinian resumed his seat. “Enough of that,” he said. “There’s something else I want to raise. Belisarius, I am a bit concerned about Antonina’s expedition to Egypt.”
The general cocked an eyebrow. “So am I!” he exclaimed. “She’s my wife, you know. I’m not happy at the idea of sending her into a battle with only—”
“Nonsense!” snapped the former emperor. “The woman’ll do fine, as far as any battles go. Don’t underestimate her, Belisarius. Any woman that small who can slaughter half a dozen street thugs in a knife fight can handle that sorry bastard Ambrose. It’s the aftermath I’m worried about. Once she’s crushed this mini-rebellion, she’ll be moving on. To the naval side of your campaign. What then?” He leaned forward, fixing Belisarius with his eyeless gaze.
“Who’s going to keep Egypt under control?”
“You know our plans, Justinian. Hermogenes will assume command of the Army of Egypt and—”
The former Emperor snorted. “He’s a soldier, man! Oh, a damned fine one, to be sure. But soldiers aren’t much use, when it comes to suppressing the kind of religious fanatics who keep Egypt in a turmoil.” He sighed heavily. “Trust me, Belisarius. I speak from experience. If you use a soldier to squash a monk, all you create is a martyr.”
Justinian now turned to face Michael. “You’re the key here, Michael. We will need your religious authority.”
“And Anthony’s,” qualified the monk.
Justinian waved his hand impatiently. “Yes, yes, and the Patriarch’s help, of course. But you are the key.”