It even smelled richer here than in Alexandria—fresh pines, lush soil, sweat, the sharp pickling vinegar of the fish being sold across the way in a food stall. That last made Jess’s stomach roil with hunger.

Everywhere he looked, there was the shimmer of marble and gold in the fading light, ancient wonders and modern marvels, and it was so beautiful it didn’t seem possible it had been built by the hands of men.

“Done gawking?” one of the veterans asked him, and he jerked back to awareness of who, and what, he was. Not a visitor who could take his time admiring the sights, but a soldier on duty. The veteran gave him a wide, sudden grin. “Nothing like Rome, boy. Gets us all the first time.”

“And every time after,” said Santi’s lieutenant from behind them. She didn’t sound impressed or amused. “Green Squad, you are down below, on the square. Blue Dogs, up here. Anything gets past Green Squad and the automata, it’s yours to deal with. Stay alert. Rome’s Burners always are.”

The idea that majestic, ancient Rome had Burners lurking in its shadows made Jess feel an actual pain in his chest. He’d seen what Burners could do with their bottles of Greek fire and the destruction they could cause. A small bottle was enough to burn a man to bones. Large glass bombs of it could reduce beauty to ruins, melt the gods, destroy one of the world’s greatest sights.

He hated what the Library did to protect itself, but there were times when he understood why it did it. So much could be lost, so easily, to such hate.

Jess was ordered to a post quite near the arched doorway where they’d come out. It had a thick metal door that Santi’s lieutenant closed behind her as she went inside, and Jess heard the heavy chunk of locks engaging.

It occurred to him then to turn and look back and up at the large, square structure they were guarding. It took a moment to come into focus, and when it did, he felt his body go hot as adrenaline flooded in.

He was standing on the steps of the Basilica Julia, facing the Forum. Though they had no proof, Thomas’s prison might, even now, be only a few feet below where Jess stood. The realization of that made him take a step back and look down at the ancient stone under his boots.

“Focus,” Glain said. She knew what he was thinking. “We do our jobs. Consider this reconnaissance for the mission.”

She was right, and he needed to get his bearings again and put Thomas, and any possibilities, out of mind. This could well be the place, but it was definitely not the time.

He took a breath to wrench his mind away from the possibilities and analyze the situation in front of him. They were out in the open, with no retreat behind, and ten automaton Roman lions stalking among them. Jess knew how the lions worked, how they thought, and he also knew that they weren’t particular about innocent victims when something rang their alarms. The automata in Alexandria had been alerted to watch him; had these? So far, none had so much as glanced his direction. The citizens passing through the square below, coming from and going to temples, government buildings, businesses, courts, shops, restaurants, didn’t seem to notice the increase in security, but Jess saw a pattern nevertheless. The area around the Basilica Julia cleared, and those who might have crossed in front instead took a longer route around. No one looked at the lions or at the soldiers or even at the basilica itself.