No good could come from that temple and its priests. Even
though they bowed before the statue of the god and burned incense, the
Romans did not trust the priests. They regarded them as intriguers,
trying to get their hands on everything, ready to worm out secrets for
their own profit and obtain private and political power whenever
possible.
The great black cloud enveloped Rome. It belched out lightning and
thunder, the flashes revealing the groups of stately buildings in the
Forum and Caesar's palace on the Palatine Hill. The rain poured in
torrents and it hailed, the ground was white with stones, some as
large as pigeon eggs.
Still, Lucius waited, calmly. He was accustomed to all sorts of
weather and his finery could not be spoiled. He drew his bare legs up
under him, threw the skin water bag over his head and shoulders and
waited.
Neither did Alyrus trust the priests. After all, these were not his
gods, nor his priests. He worshipped Baal, a greater god than Jupiter.
As a matter of personal safety, however, he bowed the knee to those
strange and worthless gods of Rome.
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