Eight for Eternity by Mary Reed, Eric Mayer Read Free Book Online Page A

the factions personally. Everyone who attends the races is a faction member.”
    “Yes, but few of them are singled out for execution by the emperor. I would have expected word to spread quickly. Someone must know their names.”
    “No one around here knows the names of the emperor’s enemies.”
    “No one would want to risk seeming connected to such men, you mean. How serious is all this talk? The usual grumbling or something more?”
    Junius tossed the rag he had been using to the concrete floor. “I’m a charioteer, not a politician. I concern myself with chariots and horses, not plots. If you want to know more, ask Porphyrius. He’s a palace favorite and I’ve noticed lately he seems uneasy.”
    “What makes you think so?”
    “He’s got a mansion in the city but the past few weeks he’s been sleeping at the Hippodrome, on a bed of straw. Says there’s evil abroad and he’s staying here to help guard against it. I don’t believe him. He can afford any number of watchmen and he’s always boasted he’s not superstitious.”
    “What is your explanation?”
    Junius did not hesitate before replying. “I’ve thought about that. Of course the Greens are just as alert and have their own men here day and night. But consider, there are plenty of unused, out-of-the-way rooms and passageways down here. It’s a perfect place to meet people unobserved, isn’t it? Yes, I would certainly interview Porphyrius, but don’t expect him to be as straightforward with you as I’ve been.”

Chapter Six
    John found himself wandering through the Hippodrome stables, undecided about whether he should seek out Porphyrius. The great charioteer knew the factions as well as he knew the turning posts of the racetrack. After all, he had raced for both the Greens and Blues during his long career and both had erected monuments to him on the narrow raised platform of the spina forming a barrier between the two arms of the U-shaped racetrack. If the factions were plotting together, Porphyrius would know. But if he had such knowledge why hadn’t he brought it to the emperor’s attention? Did John want to alert Porphyrius to his investigation? How long before he found out that John had been asking questions?
    Besides, how did one interrogate a man who was immortalized in bronze? Although John’s duties brought him increasingly into contact with the rich and powerful of the capital, he was still not entirely used to it.
    The sound of John’s name interrupted his debate with himself. He saw the grinning, beaked face of his old friend Haik.
    “John! What are you up to here? Never mind. My business is done. It’s getting late. Time for a cup of wine, I’d say.”
    “Perhaps it is,” John replied without hesitation, happy to have his decision made for him. “There’s a tavern I know not far from the Baths of Zeuxippus, on the way to my house. It’s usually quiet.”
    “Quiet? Compared to your house?”
    “You can’t believe the number of servants that came with the house.”
    “Yes. I think I see what you mean. The last time we spoke we were probably sitting outside a tent, or maybe inside a tavern.”
    They made their way out of the Hippodrome. The colonnades along the street funneled a biting wind. Bits of straw swirled around their ankles. John recalled the fire he had seen near the Church of Saint Laurentius. One did not wish for wind when the factions became restive.
    As they went by the entrance to the baths shrill shouts from a group of street urchins caught their attention. The urchins stood in the middle of the square in front of the baths and at first John thought they were playing. Then one of the boys charged at the other three with such ferocity, and was caught, thrown to the ground, and pummeled so unmercifully that it was apparent no game was involved.
    The attacker rolled away and scrambled to his feet. Rather than taking to his heels he stood with clenched fists and shouted imprecations. He was a short,