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It was disguised by the breeze at first, by the clank of armour and the stamp of boots, but the insistent sound cut through, causing the soldiers to pause.
An otherworldly chill ran through Claudia’s blood, causing her skin to prickle.
‘Hush!’ shouted Aquinas. ‘What is that?’
They all fell silent, listening.
It was the beating of a drum, getting louder and louder, though no military procession could be seen.
They looked around, seeking the source of the sound.
‘Perhaps Darius has returned?’ whispered Cassius.
A dull, droning horn cut through the air, then another, and another, creating a crashing cacophony of brass. It was so unfathomably loud that they all gripped their ears in pain.
It was not a joyful, celebratory sound, but a warning.
They looked up as a bright flash of light shot through the storm clouds, followed by a tremendous thud.
Thud, thud, thud.
Each explosion getting closer.
Another flash, and another, turning the whole sky white.
And then a lightning spear descended at speed with a bone-shaking roar, striking the east wing of the palace from above.
22. JUPITER RETURNS
The palace building exploded, spraying bricks and plaster into the air in a dusty cloud. For a moment, Claudia was back in Pompeii, witnessing the force of Vesuvius erupting. At the same time, the ground cracked and trembled, shattering glass and smashing pottery.
The entire universe seemed to shake. Claudia was thrown to her hands and knees. Servants poured like water out of the nearest entrance, all screaming as they fled.
‘Fire!’ someone yelled.
Flames burst from the outbuildings, spreading as colossal white bolts continued to light up the sky, creating a percussion of explosions.
‘Jupiter,’ breathed Claudia.
The war had finally come to Earth.
‘There’s no way out,’ said Gia, looking to the crowd on the lawns. ‘We must go through them.’
Aquinas’s ice-cold eyes caught on Claudia, now visible between fighting, fast-moving bodies. She watched the recognition click in his mind.
‘Detain her!’ he roared.
More soldiers crossed the gardens at speed, just as another spear struck the west building.
A pillar cracked and slowly toppled between them, like the trunk of a giant tree, creating a barricade that blocked the soldiers from advancing, but also prevented Claudia and her party from escaping.
With a groan, one of the soldiers was crushed beneath it, while Dom and Celadus were cut off from them.
Trapped between the fallen pillar and the wall, they had nowhere to run as another hot, white flare streaked past them, hitting a wall. It burst open, sending pillars toppling and bringing down one of the portico balconies. Screams filled the air, with soldiers and servants alike attempting to scramble for cover.
When Claudia looked up, she saw something flying through the reddening sky above her. She shielded her eyes to make it out.
At first, she thought it was merely a piece of stone, thrown up from one of the impacts, but it was swooping and spiralling, drifting right as it avoided another lightning spear.
