The Thirteenth Legion (A James Acton Thriller, #15) (James Acton Thrillers) by J Robert Kennedy Page B

and down his spine as he stared at
the skull, its eyes glaring at him in a red rage, the torchlight surrounding it
reflecting off the smooth surface.
    Stop
looking at it!
    He tore
his eyes away, redirecting them to the smoke filled vista out the windows, the
fires still raging in some districts.
    “Spoken
to you? How, my emperor?”
    “I
cannot explain it, nor can any of these ineffectual imbeciles. But I am certain
Jupiter himself came to me in a vision demanding the skull be removed from Rome
lest it cause even more destruction.”
    Catius kept
remarkable control. “A vision from Jupiter is indeed a great honor. It should
be heeded.”
    “Which
is why I called you. I want this cursed object removed from Rome and taken as
far away as possible.”
    “Yes, sire.
Where would you have us take it?”
    Nero
flicked his wrist. “Some place far. Britannia perhaps. Those heathens deserve
it.”
    “It
shall be done.”
    “Good. I
knew I could count on you.”
    “Who
should we deliver it to when there?”
    Nero
wagged a finger. “No, I think you misunderstood me.”
    “I beg
your forgiveness.”
    Nero
ignored the apology. “The Thirteenth Legion will deliver the skull to
Britannia, and remain with it, ensuring it never again returns to Rome.”
    “Remain?
For how long?”
    Flavus
broke into a cold sweat at the response.
    “For all
time.”
     
     

 
     

     
     
    Approaching London, United
Kingdom
Present day
     
    Laura sighed, peering out the window as her homeland sped past. She
loved living with James and adored her new home, his old, though she missed
England and she missed her university. She had managed to get a job at the
Smithsonian in Washington, DC, which had meant she could commute from their
home, thus spending much of the year together, instead of splitting time
between two continents.
    It had
been the right decision.
    Though
tough.
    “I think
this is the only time I haven’t looked forward to coming home.”
    Her
husband leaned closer and took her hand, squeezing it gently as they both stared
out the window at London below. “I hear you. I love London, but not today.”
    Laura
drew in a breath, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. “I have a
really bad feeling about this.”
    “Me too.
I know you want to go with me, but I don’t want you to.”
    Her eyes
flew open. “James! We already discussed this, I’m going!”
    James
shook his head. “No, if this goes bad then I need you on the outside, taking
care of things.” He held up a finger, cutting off her protest. “I don’t like
the fact they insisted on no phones and their own plane. At least if Hugh knew
where we were, then I’d feel better, but right now nobody we trust knows where
we are and why.”
    Laura
looked at her husband, latching onto the last thing he said. “You don’t trust
Martin?”
    “Not for
a second. A year ago? Implicitly. Now? No way. This is a cult we’re dealing
with, no matter what side of their own internal debate he falls on. That means
they put the cult first, everyone else second or worse.”
    Laura’s
head slowly bobbed as she thought about it. “We’re the infidels.”
    “Exactly,
great analogy, but let’s not go there. You know how I tend to ramble.” He
flashed her a grin and she smiled, patting his hand.
    “Yes,
you do on occasion.”
    He
squeezed her hand. “When we land, I’ll insist you be allowed to go on your own.
If they don’t agree, we’ll just leave the skull, turn around and walk away.”
    “And if
they stop us?”
    “Then we
know they were always going to go back on their word and we’re in the same
position anyway. If all they want is the skull, then handing it over should be
enough.”
    Laura
frowned as the wheels touched down. “We should have just let them pick it up in
Maryland. We’d be done with this already.”
    James
shook his head. “Martin would have never given us the skull if that were the
case. Insisting it be handed directly to the Proconsul is the only