Lucia Gaius sat slumped in her seat, twirling a lock of her ebony hair in idle boredom. The droll voices of Flavius Adeodatus, Senator Brutus Camillus, Senator Publius Sergius, Tiberius Marinus and Senator Otho Quintus resounded incessantly in her ear, lulling her into a state of inertia. Lucia and the five Roman politicians had taken respite in the great hall of Senator Camillus' French estate where they frittered away their time reclined on ornate cushions, dipping their chalices into the communal wine bowl.

Of the five Roman men, Flavius Adeodatus and Tiberius Marinus were aspiring politicians and the youngest by at least ten years separation from the other three senators who were well into the autumn of their fruitless existences. Senator Camillus was the eldest and self-appointed leader of the coterie of conspirators. He held a rigid frame and a face appearing to be carved of stone so that he resembled a living, breathing Roman effigy. His eyebrows sloped down towards the bridge of his nose, freezing his face in constant consternation.

Lucia let out a fatigued sigh, leaning lazily back in her seat and taking a sip of her wine. Her icy blue eyes caught sight of a hawk perched high up on a window sill and she observed it curiously, unable to shake the feeling that it should remind her of something. The sudden entrance of a messenger into the great hall, however, broke her trance and she opened her ears to what he had to say.

After a gesture of acknowledgement from Senator Camillus, the messenger announced, "The cargo of weaponry has been successfully transported to Briton. The Saxons and the exiguous faction of British natives have begun their attack at Hadrian's Wall. At this time, they are being met only by a small force stationed at the wall."

"They attack so soon?" responded Tiberius Marinus with a critical eye, "What news of Artorius Castus? Is he dead yet?"

"I-I have no news of the British king," stammered the messenger, glancing nervously at Senator Camillus who waved him off with another gesture of the hand. The messenger nodded gratefully and scurried out of the hall.

"If Arthur still lives, this may not bode well…" commented Senator Sergius warily.

"Lady Gaius," Senator Camillus said, addressing Lucia in a cold manner, "I suppose you still have not received word from that spy of yours, Barak Mahal, either."

Lucia yawned indifferently and answered, "I anticipate his return any day now. You needn't worry about him. He salivates for gold like a dog for meat and I assure you, I have sufficiently whetted his appetite."

"He's been gone far too long, though, you must admit" broke in Senator Quintus, "and it's beginning to wreck my nerves."

"Your nerves were already wrecked by that opium we imported from the Orient," quipped Flavius Adeodatus with a snicker.

"And what of the assassin you hired, Lady Gaius?" pursued Senator Camillus coolly, "She should have had the job done by now."

"I'm telling you the whole thing makes me nervous," interjected Senator Quintus once again, "I've known something was amiss on that island ever since the assassin I hired from Nassir Hamalo disappeared---and while on the same mission as Lady Gaius's assassin, I might add."

"Barak Mahal has every confidence in his apprentice, which is why I hired her," said Lucia, growing bored with the conversation, "And if she does not fulfill her duty, Barak Mahal will see to killing Arthur and the scout himself."

"And the scout?" piped up Tiberius Marinus, "Was that part of the plan?"

"Personal vendetta," Lucia muttered with a wry smile, "Let's just say he was less than obliging in certain affairs of the past. And I do not forgive insubordination so easily."

"Well, as long as the additional cost for it is coming out of your own holdings…" said Tiberius.

"I'd hate to find myself on your bad side, Lady Gaius," commented Senator Sergius, twirling the end of his beard between his fingers in amusement.

"The whole situation makes me nervous," echoed Senator Quintus.

"For heaven's sake, man," rebuked Senator Sergius, "If I had known you were such a gutless coward, I never would have let you in on this plot in the first place."

"Still," interjected Flavius Adeodatus for the first time, "If Arthur Castus has not yet been eliminated, the invasion could very well prove to be futile."

"And all the money we spent on that weaponry would go to naught…" added a distressed Tiberius.

"I'm beginning to wonder if the reclaiming of Briton is really worth the toll it's taking on my nerves," moaned Senator Quintus.

"Damn you! Will you stifle yourself, you dastardly wretch," roared Senator Camillus, fed up with Senator Quintus' complaints, "We have no reason to believe everything isn't going according to plan. We have made our pact with the remaining Saxons and revolutionary natives. We have kept our part of the bargain by sending the necessary arms. Now, we must simply wait to hear confirmation from Barak Mahal and Lady Gaius's assassin of Arthur Castus' death."

"And that's the part that's making me nervous," said Senator Quintus, fidgeting with his robes. Senator Camillus shot him a disapproving glare, causing him to avert his eyes to the floor in shame. "Well I'm just saying…" he added in justification, "We should have heard from them by now."

"You are all very dull company," commented Lucia haughtily with an exasperated sigh, "I have been terribly starved for amusement since my arrival."

"My deepest apologies, my lady," said Senator Sergius charmingly, "But what do you expect? We are old men now. Our days of being able to amuse young ladies such as yourself are well behind us."

Lucia was only half listening as she once again had her eyes fixed upon the hawk that still sat perched on the window sill, but she managed to answer, "Dear Senator Sergius, you know I've always found you to be the most valuable of company."

"Yes, and how well I seem to hold your attention with my company," mused Senator Sergius at her distraction, "What is it you look upon, child?"

Lucia laughed politely and shook her head as if dismissing her thoughts. "Oh nothing," she replied lightly, "Just a silly bird in the window that appears to be eavesdropping on our conversation."

"Well," said Senator Sergius in jest, "Let us hope the little spy does not betray us and our schemes."

The main door to the great hall suddenly swung wide open and Tarra strode confidently through the entryway, one corner of her mouth curling up in a sly smile. The guards that lined the perimeter of the hall awaiting orders fixed their eyes on the suspicious looking woman who entered the hall unannounced. Tarra marched down the aisle with an unhesitating bounce and a confident swagger in her step towards where Lucia Gaius and the five politicians sat looking at her with placid eyes. In her hand, she carried a blood-soaked sack, round like a ripened melon.

Tarra, poised and assured, approached the idling Romans and, not waiting to be addressed, said sarcastically, "I hope I did not keep you waiting. I can see you clearly have much more important business to occupy you."

"Senators, noblemen," said Lucia rising ceremoniously from her seat, "This is the assassin I hired to kill Arthur named---I do believe I've forgotten your name, actually."

"That's alright," answered Tarra with mock sweetness, "You can't help that you were born Roman and stupid." Lucia scowled at Tarra with a menacing glare.

"Be careful who you insult, heathen," warned Senator Camillus disdainfully, "Or you will find your own death imminent."

"Ah, yes, but who would secure it? Let's face it, you Romans are not exactly known for handling such affairs yourselves. First you would have to find and hire yet another assassin to kill me and what a chore that would be! It's a pity you couldn't just pay your current assassin to do the job for you. Honestly, what has the world come to when a loyal servant can't be bribed with a high enough price to assassinate herself?" countered Tarra with great amusement, "Oh, but what the hell? I'm willing to hear any offers you might be inclined to make."

"Honestly, Lady Gaius, where do you pick up this trash?" spat Senator Camillus indignantly.

Lucia grimaced vehemently at Tarra. "Well, now," she said impatiently, "Do you have the heads or not?"

Tarra grinned audaciously and lifted the rounded sack she held in her hand so that it was at eye level between them. "I have here the head of Arthur Castus," she declared, "And the head of the scout is on its way."

Lucia examined the sack from where she stood and seemed pleased. She extended her hand to retrieve it, but Tarra withdrew it quickly from her reach. "Money first," Tarra demanded. Lucia frowned and called over to a guard to go and retrieve Tarra's reward.

Tarra watched the guard exit the hall and then said, "While we're on the topic of money, I have a question I've been dying to ask you."

"Yes?" Lucia replied disinterestedly, "And what is that?"

"You paid both Barak Mahal and myself to carry out the same assassination, did you not? Why?" asked Tarra, "Honestly, my feelings are a little hurt that you didn't have enough confidence that I'd get the job done myself."

A sly smile crept up Lucia's face. "Barak Mahal was right about you," she said, "You are very astute."

"I'm always glad to be thought highly of," replied Tarra less than enthusiastically, "If only your opinion mattered. Now, what does my astuteness have to do with you paying twice for the same assassination?"

"Absolutely nothing seeing as your intelligence was never in question as a hindrance to your getting the job done," said Lucia simply, "My concern lay rather with your loyalty. You have made it clear that you have no respect for me and worse is that you do not fear me, either. What control could I have over you? I needed a guarantee that you would not go back on your end of the bargain. I was willing to pay you six hundred gold coins for the assassination, but Barak Mahal suggested that three hundred of those be offered to you under the guise of a second employer. He said you would be more likely complete the assignment if the orders also came from him."

"Sounds complicated," commented Tarra, "You must really have wanted this Arthur fellow dead to strain your feeble mind so."

"I'm used to getting what I want," Lucia explained, lifting her head imperiously and ignoring Tarra's jibe.

"Really?" muttered Tarra, "Because it seems like you are a rather unsatisfied kind of person."

"I have many wants," Lucia replied as though her greed were a reasonable justification for ordering another person's murder.

"Have you ever heard of the treasure of Bostra?" Tarra asked suddenly, "It was accumulated by the Sultan Arif of Bostra, now known as the Sultan Arif of Petra. Some say that it was the acquisition of that treasure that dragged him down into the senility of his old age. They say it drove him mad. I wouldn't know because I did not meet him until years later, but they say that with every piece of treasure he added to his fortune, the more dissatisfied and restless he became. Eventually, at the realization that in his pursuit for riches he had forgotten produce sons to inherit his wealth, his eyes fogged over and so was born the senile Sultan Arif, the old fool---the only Sultan Arif that I knew."

Tarra turned her head then as the door opened and the guard returned with a jingling bag of gold coins. Tarra opened the bag and quickly glanced over the coins, estimating them to be of the correct value. She then shoved them into her pocket and turned her attention back to Lucia. "I am satisfied," she said simply.

Lucia had her eyes fixed on the blood-stained sack that Tarra still held in her hand. "Oh right," said Tarra as though she had forgotten about the bounty and raised it up once again. "You know," she said mischievously, looking Lucia directly in the eyes, "You were right not to trust my loyalty."

"What do you mean…?" asked Lucia, narrowing her eyes at Tarra suspiciously.

Tarra opened the sack, letting the head drop to the floor and roll across to Lucia's feet. The piercing green, wide-open eyes of Barak Mahal stared up at Lucia who covered her face with her hands and let out a blood-curdling shriek. Tarra threw her head back and laughed.

At that moment, Arthur and his knights barged through the main door with swords drawn, their faces fierce with the anticipation of the confrontation they had been waiting for. Lucia's eyes widened in fear and the five politicians rose from their seats behind her in alarm as Arthur and the knights charged through the hall towards them. Lucia glanced back up at the window sill to see the hawk sweep down from its perch, landing on its master's arm. The bird had betrayed her after all.

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I hope all that makes sense! If not, let me know and I can do some clarifying in the next chapter. :)