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She examined it from a distance. It had a sculpted figure of Minerva on it – helmet, spear, owl on her shoulder. Yet it was surely far too heavy to be lifted. It had no real use.

Thinking of how narrowly she’d escaped with her life just days before, Claudia adopted a position of extreme cautiousness, circling the mysterious object and using a pillow to prod at it. She crouched and squinted and whispered to it – even smelled it. It had the reassuring steely smell of a blacksmith’s forge.

Claudia grazed it with her fingertips.

At her touch, the metal shimmered unnaturally, causing her to step backwards. The sculpted relief of the goddess came to life, turning from its heroic side profile to address her.

‘Congratulations, Empress Claudia,’ said the relief. ‘It is my honour and my privilege to address you as such.’

‘Minerva!’ Claudia cried, before instantly lowering her voice. ‘I’m so glad to hear from you. I have—’

But her goddess continued speaking, as if she couldn’t hear her. ‘I apologize for taking so long to make contact. I’ve been on an important quest – a voyage into the unknown. I have spied inside my father’s mind and recovered Fortuna from her self-exile. We are ready to regroup and assemble our defence.’

‘Minerva?’

Claudia waved at her, uncertainly, but it seemed the goddess couldn’t see.

‘You are safe and the flame is still burning, thanks to Vesta,’ said Minerva. ‘We are fortunate she has taken our side, or her interception may not have had such a pleasant result.’

So, it was true: they had come to her aid in the Pantheon.

As the goddess of the hearth and home, Vesta had many nurturing and maternal qualities, but she also accepted vestal virgins as sacrifices in her name. Her femininity was used as a symbol to oppress other women. Vesta was neutral, double-edged.

Claudia assumed her interest was more personal than simple support for a woman’s world. If someone tried to snuff out the eternal flame, that was an attack on her and her devoted followers, too.

Either way, it was a reassuring sign.

‘I’m relieved that you are alive and well,’ Minerva continued, ‘and that Jupiter hasn’t succeeded in his ambitions. I’ve been assured that the other goddesses have been keeping an eye on you, in my absence, and they will continue to do so. Our numbers are growing steadily, thanks to Diana and Venus. They have been busy recruiting goddesses to our cause. When Jupiter returns to Elysium, we will be ready. You must be ready too, Claudia Caesaria.’

‘I am trying,’ said Claudia softly. ‘I am trying to be—’

Minerva’s pre-cast message cut her off again.

‘I know my father intends to do you harm, but do not be afraid. I am offering you a weapon, a gift of protection. This shield is what we call a god’s-eye, or a goddess’s-eye, in this case: an object that provides omniscient vision. Through its lens, you may view any person you wish to see. I have one much like it.’

Claudia’s breath caught in her throat at this new development.

‘It will not show you the past or the future, only the present. Only what occurs in the here and now. It will not show you Elysium or the underworld, only the mortal plane, but it will give you divine knowledge. This is my guardianship in material form. Know your enemies, Claudia. Know your allies. Use this shield to protect your kingdom through observation. As we watch you, you shall watch them.’

Minerva’s sculpted relief faded away, flattening to form a shiny mirror. A portal. Two blurry figures appeared in the bright gleam at the centre of the shield instead, sharpening until they came into focus and Claudia was able to recognize them.

Damocles and Hieronymus. The consul and her most senior advisor, in red and orange robes. They were walking through the palace gardens, listening to the tolling of distant bells.

They made for visually interesting companions: Damocles, tall and large with a waxed, pointed beard like an arrow, and Hieronymus, small and bony with his fluffy mop of white hair.

‘You swear to me, man to man, you were not involved in the incident at the Pantheon?’ said Damocles.

‘In the name of my god, Vulcan,’ said Hieronymus, emphatically. ‘On the lives of my children and grandchildren, I played no part in the attempt on the empress’s life. Perhaps it is you I should be interrogating.’

‘I have no loyalty to the empress but I don’t seek to harm her either. She might even be useful, if we are to play it right.’

‘You are not a fan of Marcellus?’

‘I am not a partisan. I serve only Mercury and the Senate, and our influence pales with every new emperor.’

The image faded away, as Minerva’s sculpted image emerged from the silver again. Claudia let out a shaky breath.

Neither man thought well of her, but it seemed neither of them had tried to kill her either. It was a strange relief.