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The prince took a deep, steadying breath, holding up his palms in a gesture of peace.

‘Luckily, I have an appreciation for snakes,’ he said. ‘Wise and noble creatures. You could learn much from them.’ He curled his lip at Gia. ‘I will not forget this, but I will not fight you when you are injured either.’

‘Surely there has been some kind of misunderstanding,’ said Cassius, looking back and forth between Gia and the prince.

‘There is no mistake,’ said Gia. ‘The knife was hidden among his belongings… I hope you don’t trust him over me?’

Cassius looked to the prince again, then back to her, conflicted.

‘I would normally trust you over anyone on Earth,’ said Cassius. ‘But you must admit that your judgement is somewhat compromised lately. When it comes to her…’ Cassius looked to Claudia, pointedly. ‘You are not logical at all. Your heart rules your head.’

Gia fell silent, frowning deeply.

‘You asked me to befriend the prince and earn his trust,’ said Cassius, turning to Claudia. ‘I did as you asked, and I have seen nothing but a good man, with noble intentions. I have nothing bad to say about him.’

‘Thank you, Cassius,’ said Darius, his dark eyes shining.

The chariot grew uncomfortably quiet, the silence interrupted only by the prince’s weeping guard.

Gia reclined on a bench in the office of the palace physician, who asked her to follow his fingers with her eyes.

Claudia paced anxiously back and forth in front of the window, wringing her hands as Cassius sat in a chair nearby.

‘What’s your name?’ asked the physician.

‘Via Galerii,’ said Gia. ‘No, Gia Valerii.’ When Claudia goggled at her in alarm, Gia shook her head, raising one finger. ‘That was just a slip of the tongue. I’m fine. I know my own name, obviously.’

‘Hmm,’ said the physician, his brow furrowing. ‘Where do you think you are right now, Gia?’

Gia gazed around the room, evidently trying to anchor herself by her surroundings.

On the desk, a scroll about dream interpretation had been laid open next to one of Pliny’s works. In an alcove, a candle smoked.

‘The palace?’ she said. ‘In Rome? I’ve never been in this room before, but I presume it’s the valetudinaria.’

‘That’s correct. And tell me, what year is it?’

‘It’s the year Pompeii erupted.’ She looked at Claudia, her face settling with clarity. ‘The year of the first empress. That was the next question you were going to ask me, right?’

‘I believe you have a mild concussion,’ said the physician. ‘You should be all right after a little rest, though. It was a miracle none of you were killed. The empress here says you saved her life.’

‘What about her arm?’ Claudia asked.

‘The wound will heal; it doesn’t need stitching. She’s lucky the arrow missed the major artery. A fraction closer and she might’ve lost the use of the limb.’

Claudia exhaled in relief. ‘That’s good.’

The physician offered Gia various leaves and spices, which were meant to benefit her health.

‘What is it?’ she asked, when handed a cup.

‘Liquid cabbage,’ said the physician.

‘Thanks, but no. I’d rather be in pain,’ said Gia. She pushed the cup back into the physician’s hands, as if it contained poison.

‘You should take several days to recuperate,’ he said. ‘Drink water, eat vegetables, and put some salve on that wound to stave off infection. Come back if you notice any inflammation.’

Gia nodded.