
The soldier of Rome walked out onto the shifting floor of the desert. With every step the sand worked
its way into his sandals and then spilled out again into thin streams. He settled down into the mile-eating,
steady tread of the professional foot soldier, the sun on his back pushing him on.
He walked slowly but steadily, avoiding the desire to rush, knowing that that would use him up faster
than his measured pace. He would have to make the mountains by the next day or run out of water. Even
now the base of the crags could not be seen. The top half was floating over the floor, the desert shifting
and riding on shimmering heat waves. The day found him crossing a field of stones with lizards and
serpents watching his progress. His step was already slowing down, the heat a constant drain, drawing
off his life’s essence and strength. The water bag at his side sloshed continuously, tempting him to raise it
to his mouth and drink, or wash his face to get rid of the caked-up dust and sweat and streaked grit
around the corners of his eyes.
Stopping, he raised his head and looked out across the field of stones and serpents. He had to stop
and wait out the worst of the heat. A single, darker object rose from the rocky floor. It was a large
boulder that hadn’t yet given into the remorseless efforts to wear it down to the size of its neighbors. It
stood like a lonely sentinel, guarding nothing.
Casca sat down on the shaded side of the stone. It was about as tall as he was and five feet around,
but it also had the only shade for miles. He scraped away the surface layer of rocks, knowing they would
be the hottest. Sitting on them would have drawn some of his moisture. He pulled his robes over him,
forming a tent, and leaned back against the shaded side of the boulder. He was a single lonely figure,
waiting. The gray, once-white robe, which if seen from any distance would seem just another rock, was
his protection and shelter. He would wait now until the sun chariot had almost completed its journey
before drinking again. He would travel all the coming night, and if nothing unforeseen occurred, he should
make the distant mountains by the next sunrise.
He slept fitfully, a waking sleep that came and went. The silence was complete; only the omnipresent
heat was his companion, though not a friend. He dozed, head jerking up now and then as he tried to seek
the comfort of unconsciousness. He was still sweating and knew that that was a good sign; if the sweating
were to stop, he knew a heat stroke would not be far away. As long as he could sweat, he was all right.
The seconds were minutes and the minutes were hours. Time seemed to stop, his mind in a turmoil.
He had no way of telling of the passing of the hours. It was too much of an effort to try and determine
how long he had been sitting. He knew when the day began to cool, that would be the time to rise. Until
then he would have to endure the dragging hours silently, helpless to speed them up.
Far across the desert and sea, another waited, silent and meditating in somewhat different
surroundings. Marcus Aurelius, emperor of Rome, worried over how the Persian camping was
progressing. Long ago, at the age of twelve, the emperor had embraced the teachings and severities of
the Stoics. He had trained himself to place his body second to his mind, to resist passion in all forms, and
to deal only in logic. For the Stoic, there were only two paths a man could take: the path to good or the
path to evil. He regretted only that the office of state that he held so often forced him into unpleasant acts
that he deemed necessary for the greater good. He personally had nothing against Christians, but they
were a disturbing influence and preached a religion of weakness, which, if allowed to flourish, could sap
the already vital strength of the empire.
Therefore, with a sigh of regret, he was now signing the order condemning another ten thousand of
these followers of the crucified god to be put to death. He handed the instrument of death over to his
chamberlain and took a drink of spring water. He avoided the use of wine or even eating to excess. In his
mind, as the father of the Roman people, he had to set the example in everything. How else could he lead
but by example, if he wanted the Roman people to return to the earlier state of nobility and virtue under
which they had conquered most of the known world.
But, he sighed, he was sorely afraid that he was too late in coming on the scene. Still, one must try,
and there was always the hope that his successor would be able to carry on with his work. Smiling, he
thought of his son, Commodus—bright-eyed, brave, quick to learn, and the light of his father’s eye. Yes,
Commodus would carry on after him and lead the empire into an even greater age of prosperity and
peace. Commodus would be the artist who would paint in the fine details of the future. He Marcus would