"I can't let him marry her." "What am I going to do?" "Emperor Titus wishes Dr Ben-Ezra to come to Rome and work in the plague clinic." "In a dream, Jupiter said Rome will be devastated." "To solve the Emperor's dream, we need to find out about Prometheus." "And Pandora's box." "I believe it was the Ark of the Covenant." "Jonathan, I cannot see your father!" "It would put us all in danger." "Maybe the new Prometheus is a doctor!" "Berenice!" "She was so jealous of my mother she hired three assassins to kill her." "Maybe she's come back to try again." "We think it was either Diaulus or Cosmos who started the plague and is keeping it going." "I must learn more about their methods." "You should talk to doctor we are working with." "The Jew from Ostia." "I've heard good reports about him." "We're very lucky he happened to be in Rome." "We bring him to meet you now?" "No, I have to go the Golden House." "What did he mean?" "Mordecai didn't just happen to be here." "He was invited by the Senate, because Titus told them to." "It doesn't make sense." "We need to find Mordecai." "COUGHING AND WHEEZING" "He's not here." "Mordecai could be buying more herbs." "But he has taken his doctor's bag." "That's because Mordecai is attending a slave-woman at the Golden House." "I am supposed to make the imperial house calls!" "A slavewoman?" "In the Golden House?" "Susannah?" "Jonathan!" "He's taken Mordecai to see her!" "Titus!" "Hurry!" "Please, Father!" "Who is this slave?" "Why can't she be treated by the Palace physicians?" "She just can't!" "Come on!" "Excuse me?" "Susannah?" "I thought you were dead." "Jonathan, you disobeyed me." "I had to, Mother." "You're not safe, and I was scared." "I didn't know what to do." "What happened in Jerusalem?" "We were all going to leave together, but you didn't come." "Tell him, Mother." "Your father." "I was about to leave, but he collapsed and I couldn't leave him." "When I got to the gate, you were gone." "We didn't want to leave, but it was the last cart out of Jerusalem, and we had to, didn't we?" "Tell her, Father." "Tell him, Mother." "It's not your fault, son..." "My dearest wife, this is a miracle." "No, Mordecai, it's a nightmare." "Emperor, wait!" "Emperor!" "What now?" "We've found more evidence about one of the doctors." "It'll have to wait." "Father, how soon can we go?" "Susannah?" "Who's this?" "Tell me!" "My husband." "Mordecai Ben-Ezra." "The Jewish doctor I've heard so much about." "Now I know why you came to Rome." "I was asked here." "You wrote to the Senator for Health personally recommending me." "I didn't write this." "Jonathan..." "What a coincidence." "My royal seal?" "Why did you do it?" "To get my mother and father back together." "He was going to marry someone else." "Your mother chose to stay here." "No, she didn't!" "You used me to blackmail her." "You said I could go home to Ostia if she stayed here with you." "Enough." "She hates being here!" "She wants to be with us, not you." "Please let mother come home." "She's not safe here, and she's nothing to you." "That's not true." "I love her." "No, you don't!" "You told Berenice you didn't." "You're a liar." "You will beg for our forgiveness!" "Throw him out of the palace!" "Get out!" "You will never see your mother again." "Mother!" "Don't be afraid!" "I shall think about what's going to happen to you." "Finish dressing." "You're coming with me." "Mother!" "Susannah, what's wrong?" "My head." "It's burning." "I can't breathe." "This has been too much for her." "She has the fever." "I'm not so sure." "It came on too suddenly." "Please, may I examine her?" "I don't understand it." "She has all the symptoms of a snake bite, but there are no fang marks, except this mark on the nape of her neck." "She's been poisoned!" "Impossible." "I've done everything to protect her." "Can you cure her?" "Unless we know which poison it is," "I don't know which antidote to use." "But whatever it is, it's acting quickly." "Is she going to die?" "Yes." "She only has a few hours." "It has to be Berenice." "She poisoned Susannah." "We must tell Jonathan!" "But how do we find him?" "Forgotten breathing herbs." "He'll need more." "And he got those from the apothecary on Snake Island." "Lupus, will you go there and find him?" "This is Berenice's old room." "What are we looking for?" "Anything." "This box is so beautiful." "Covered in gold." "Do you remember Josephus saying that Berenice's brother might have stolen the Ark of the Covenant from the Temple of God?" "This could be it?" "Agathus!" "You scared me." "Is this box the Ark?" "All the slaves believe it is." "Berenice left instructions for no-one to touch it." "Why not?" "She said to open it would be to desecrate it." "That's what Josephus meant!" "The Ark is so pure, so holy, that it mustn't be opened." "Come now." "I have to make a garland for Titus." "Laurel, myrtle and Jerusalem thorn." "But why would Berenice leave it here, if it is so precious?" "Any Jew who has the Ark in their house will be blessed in every way." "I believe Berenice left the Ark behind for us, the Jewish slaves." "Her people." "Lupus!" "What are you doing here?" "My mother's been poisoned?" "Is she still alive?" "Berenice!" "I knew it." "How did she do it?" "Snake?" "No snake." "No snake?" "I don't understand you, Lupus!" "I do." "Your mother was poisoned by snake venom." "Can you get me some anti-venom?" "I can only give you the right one if I know what sort of venom was used." "You need to find the snake." "But that's impossible." "Or the poisoner?" "But Berenice has gone." "Then all you can do is to hurry back to your mother." "I'm sorry." "Berenice had already left when my mother was poisoned!" "She must have had someone to do her dirty work for her." "Someone who has access to everywhere." "A slave of the highest order." "Agathus!" "Of course." "Come on!" "I don't get it." "Why would Berenice poison Susannah when it's Titus she should be angry at?" "Not possible to poison Titus." "Yes, his slaves taste everything." "Food not the only way." "Skin can absorb poison." "Maybe clothes?" "No." "Titus only trusts those closest to him to dress him." "It maybe is possible to get poison under skin, with something sharp." "Like a hair pin?" "The mark on Susannah's neck!" "That's how she was poisoned." "Then it is good Titus doesn't wear hair pins." "We're ready, Emperor." "The garland!" "Quick!" "This is the Temple of Jupiter." "Titus will come here for the sacrifice." "Agathus should be with him." "I'll go in and have a look." "Where is everyone?" "It's a curfew while Titus is doing his sacrifice." "Over there!" "I'll go in." "Stay and keep watch." "Agathus!" "My mother's dying!" "I need to know what snake the venom came from." "She escaped the assassin's knife only to be killed by a hair-pin!" "But don't worry, she won't be lonely." "Titus is next." "You don't think Berenice would allow him to live after he rejected her a second time, do you?" "But how?" "Come." "I'll show you!" "Titus thought he would please his loathsome gods by wearing that." "The garland!" "He destroyed our city and our temple." "Now he will pay the price." "No!" "Your plan has failed, Agathus!" "It doesn't matter!" "He will die anyway." "What have you come here to do?" "To avenge our people, Jonathan." "Tonight Rome will be destroyed." "But how?" "With fire, and the sparks will be carried by the wind into the forum and the Palatine Hill, igniting the temples of their pagan gods and consuming the palace of the Beast!" "But hundreds of our people will die, too!" "You will die!" "I am not afraid to die." "One life for a million lives!" "Don't touch it!" "It's been poisoned." "Agathus poisoned it under Berenice's instructions." "Let them go." "It's you!" "You are the Prometheus!" "And soon the Emperor's dream will come true." "Together we can rid the world of a tyrant who destroyed our city and enslaved our people!" "Soon he will open his Colosseum with a hundred days of games!" "Where do you think he'll get enough men to fight and die every day for three months?" "The Jewish slaves." "Titus does not deserve to live!" "Have your revenge, Jonathan." "We need more fuel." "Vengeance is the Lord's, not ours." "There!" "He's coming up on the roof!" "He mustn't get away!" "Stop!" "There's nowhere to go!" "Look!" "Up there!" "Give yourself up!" "There he is!" "Archers, shoot!" "Aaaaargh!" "Lupus, save yourself!" "It's Lupus!" "We must get away while we can!" "Why is he staying up there?" "Come down, Lupus!" "He's trying to tell us something!" "He needs help." "Jonathan's up there!" "It's too dangerous!" "I forbid you!" "May the gods preserve us!" "There he is!" "He's still breathing!" "Get him up!" "Hurry!" "Let's go, come on." "He's awake." "Mother?" "She's still alive." "She's getting worse." "She doesn't have very long left." "When Susannah dies, he die too." "The secret of the snake died with Agathus." "We don't know what sort it was, or where Agathus kept it." "They've searched the palace from top to bottom." "Maybe... we look in wrong place for snake?" "Where would no-one have think to look?" "What if it is Ark of Covenant?" "We will be cursed." "I don't think it's the Ark." "I think it's a box with a snake in it." "Susannah will die without the antidote." "We've got to do this." "We've got to do it for Jonathan." "And remember, the snake must be alive, Lupus, or Smintheus can't make it bite to release the antidote." "One... two... three." "Don't let it out!" "Shut the door!" "It's escaping!" "SHE PLAYS A TUNE" "Careful, Lupus!" "Watch out!" "Now, Lupus!" "Quickly!" "Lupus, come on!" "Give it to me!" "I'm not letting go until we get to Smintheus." "Thank the gods Susannah is safe." "Until the fire is almost out." "Agathus was our Prometheus, but the destruction was not as absolute as my dream foretold." "I don't think Agathus was the Prometheus." "Or even Berenice." "Who then?" "You." "I think your hubris opened a Pandora's box, when you destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple of God." "The volcano, the blighted harvest, the plague and now the fire." "All that was my fault?" "Maybe." "You said there would be a reward." "I did." "So what would you like?" "A necklace of the finest diamonds?" "Hm?" "A whole library of scrolls!" "I want you to let Susannah come back to Ostia." "Susannah, my dearest." "When you are recovered... you may go home with your husband." "What are your conditions?" "There are no conditions." "You're free!" "Mother, what do I do?" "Don't worry, I'll be right behind you." "She looks beautiful!" "Miriam, daughter of Mordecai... ..in front of all these witnesses, will you marry me?" "Yes, Gaius." "I will." "Thank God you were here to see this, Susannah!" "I'm just going to talk to the guests." "Marcus, this is the happiest day!" "My brother and your daughter!" "He is a lucky man indeed." "Thank you for allowing Flavia to come to Rome." "Without her, and her incredible courage, neither my wife nor my son would be alive." "I shall will never forget what you did." "And now I need a new assistant." "And I think Jonathan's talents lie elsewhere." "Nubia, you are naturally gentle and wise." "You have compassion and understanding." "And I think you'd make an excellent assistant." "That is, if you were interested." "Yes!" "Can I?" "Well?" "Flavia?" "You are a freed woman, Nubia." "You may do exactly as you wish." "But you will still live us, won't you?" "Thank you, my friend." "Flavia, we haven't talked about Rome yet." "You ran into a burning temple." "You picked up a poisonous snake with your bare hands." "Like this!" "It has to come to an end." "You can't run wild any more." "I want to do what's best by you." "I'll study hard, I won't get into any more scrapes." "And I have to think about the future." "I can only protect you for a few years more." "But what then?" "Father?" "What are you saying?" "I think it's time to think about marriage." "But, Father, I'm 13!" "It would only be a betrothal at this stage." "I wouldn't expect you to marry for two or three years." "And I think I've found you a very suitable husband." "He's intelligent, well-schooled... handsome." "Headstrong and brave." "But you can't choose who I marry!" "That's exactly what a good father is supposed to do." "But I want to be like Gaius and Miriam, like Mordecai and Susannah." "I want to fall in love!" "And I hope you will find love in this marriage." "I would be very happy if you did." "Flavia." "I love you." "And I only want what's best for you." "I really think that I've made a good choice for you." "You're my dearest daughter." "Flavia!" "Go on." "Enjoy yourself."