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Darius was right. Now, more than ever, she needed the prince’s protection, yet she dreaded the conditions it came with.

‘Only you and I can maintain this peace,’ he said. ‘Anahita has shown me. The future is no longer set in stone… because something occurred to derail the path of preordained fate.’ When he gazed at her, it was as if he saw past her, through her, into a realm beyond. ‘It was you, Empress. You were the one who changed history when you claimed the crown. But rewriting history has consequences. Removing Decimus was like throwing a pebble in a pond.’ He retrieved a small stone, tossing it into the water. ‘It has created ripples through time.’

They watched the rings expanding, growing outward.

‘Now Anahita sees a different future. My kingdom, a desert. My gods, abandoned. A war that will rage for seven hundred years.’

‘You think I will be responsible for such atrocities?’ she said.

‘No. Not you,’ he said. ‘In her vision, you are dead. Your gladiator is dead. Marcellus is emperor. Aquinas will push for Rome’s expansion until it penetrates our borders.’

Claudia shook her head strenuously.

No. It would not be so. She hadn’t done what she’d done just to cause more suffering. She hadn’t walked through the hell of Vulcan’s fire to steal her brother’s bloody crown, all for the world to fall apart in the hands of another idiot man.

‘How can you be sure your goddess is telling you the truth?’

‘Do you doubt your goddess? No, because you have seen. You have felt. You have known. I know she is telling me the truth, because she sees me in a way no one else has ever done. She knows things about me that no one could know – that I myself am barely aware of. She knows my innermost soul and all of the secrets I have hidden there.’

His face became grave, haunted by something unspoken.

‘When Marcellus returns, you will either be his wife against your will, or you will be buried beneath his feet. That is why I come to you now, with a new proposition.’

Claudia dreaded to hear it, but she knew she had no choice.

‘I’m listening.’

‘We will marry as planned, as soon as possible. We will solidify the alliance of our two empires. Then you will have two armies to defend you, and Marcellus will no longer be a threat.’

The words she had in mind dried to dust.

‘Our marriage will be one of companionship,’ he said. ‘I can keep you safe, like no other man can.’

‘I cannot do it,’ said Claudia.

‘I can give you security, not just for yourself but for your people. I can give you a cover, a mask, behind which to hide yourself. I can even give you a child, should you desire one.’

‘You would expect me to…?’ asked Claudia.

‘Only if you wanted an heir, as I do,’ he said. ‘Your gladiator friend cannot offer you that.’

The gardens were unnaturally quiet, barely a bird or insect to be heard as they gazed at their reflection in the still waters.

‘The rumours spread further each day. Your men speak of infamy. Your reign is on shaky ground. Any excuse to topple you, and they will take it. This is just another thing that makes you weak to them. This is just another reason to overthrow you. Without me at your side, Marcellus will have an easy job of ousting you, and they will kill you if you refuse to do what they want you to.’

Claudia felt trapped, as she had done as a child.

‘Marry me and your position will be stronger. For both of us will rise, or both of us will fall. Together, or apart. A woman alone is not enough,’ he said.

‘Would your goddess agree with that?’

‘My goddess is wise. She sits with uncomfortable truths. They will not let you rule the world. It is a dream.’

‘You’re wrong. I am very much awake.’

‘You are already promised to me, and I am here to honour the promise I made my father,’ he said.

‘But you know the truth, about Gia and me,’ she said. ‘To marry me would be to live a lie.’