Domina Victrix

Chapter 64: 29 AD, Capri, Antioch, and Judea

Tiberius scanned yet another batch of documents that detailed several weeping sores throughout the Empire. The situation with Young Bricius was rapidly becoming the worst. Public opinion had gotten hold of the story and the masses were behind Junior. Stories circulated of a young, goodlooking Adonis with red-gold hair and blue eyes, the son of a general, who had been savagely ravished by a Roman officer of the Imperial Family. The facts, that Aemilia did most of the despoiling, the boy was never physically harmed, and was a willing participant in his own seduction, were beside the point. There was a large Celtic diaspora in Italy and Greece, they had a story, and were spinning it against Tiberius and his family. Tiberius knew the tale of the rape of Lucretia, a Roman matrona who lived about five centuries ago, and was assaulted by the last King of Rome. Her suicide sparked a popular uprising that led to the destruction of the Roman kingdom and the beginnings of the Republic.

Junior deserved to die for seducing a married woman of the Imperial Family and then blaming her and her husband, but his death could spark backlash against the dynasty. He had to be kept alive. His grandfathers were demanding his return to Gaul, as was his Uncle Governor Castillus Bricius. But, right now, the safest place for him was Antioch, which meant the Antonys. Tiberius picked up a letter from Gaius to Governor Bricius.

....Junior is going about his duties here as an apprentice translator and administrator. My main worry was that he might despair and hurt himself, or grow bitter and vengeful, but I see no sign of it. He is bright and eager to learn, finding ways to stay busy, counting down the weeks and months till he can marry Antylla, fixating on going to school and joining up. No moping or whining. No looking back. He remains angry and confused over much of what happened, but is adamant about the details. The death of his cousin was a bitter setback but he managed. Like my son, he is so quick-minded and resilient, one forgets he is so young. He is very immature for his age, just like my Marcus was, and still is. I agree with his father that he needs supervision and training for years to come and we believe that he needs to stay here....

Gaius was a skilled intelligence officer and reader of people. His assessment of both Bolt and Junior was accurate. Young Marcus also deserved death but was much more useful alive. That he and Junior would be linked by marriage was poetic justice. They deserved each other. Given the situation in Judea, they might just cross paths. The Nabateans were massing for war over Antipas' rejection of Phaesilla. The Judeans and Judean transplants in Syria, Emessa, Phoenica, and Egypt were spoiling for revolt over the second invasion of the Temple, and several would-be prophets and messiahs were urging them on. Thaddeus and Osemus were still accruing followers and now they had a counterpart in Judea, one Yehonen bar Zechariah.

One of the stranger aspects of Jewish worship was an emphasis on bathing and cleanliness. Everything from washing hands, to bathing in special pools, to dipping dishes and vessels to clothes, everything had to be physically and ceremonially clean. The Romans admired cleanliness but there was no particular ritual about it. Still, this John, the son of a Levite, preached the idea of a sacred dip in the Jordan River to cleanse one of sins and prepare for the imminent coming of the messiah. The Jews always seemed to be expecting the messiah, who never seemed to come. Imposters were always ready to claim the mantle and start trouble and this man was no exception. John had taken up a personal beef with Antipas, openly criticizing him over his divorce of Phaesilla. He was above himself in calling out the King and that was never a good thing. Tiberius drafted an order to Appius, telling him to watch Yohanan bar Zachariah, but do nothing further to him at present, and to allow Bolt and Flavius, or if necessary, Eli Burrus and Decius Messala to monitor the situation. Both Provincials were willing to do sidework for Rome, and Antipas was aware of their activity. Pilate had no doubt caught on.

Tiberius now turned to Ptolemy of Mauretania. This particular Antony had become a capable ruler and was almost as good a military commander as Juba. He had stood Tacfarinas off for years. Now Sejanus had dispatched his nephew, Junius Blaessus, to take over Castillus Bricius' command in Mauretania. Tacfarinas was cobbling together a hodge-podge of tribes, notably the Musulami and Mauri, against Ptolemy and his own tribe, the Massyli. Tiberius would usually send forces from Hispania and Gaul to deal with a threat like this, but they were now preoccupied with the Vascons. He had competent commanders in Cyrenaica, Carthage, and Egypt, so Mauretania was covered, but so far, Tacfarinas was what he had been for years, a nuisance.