Read Online To Crown a Caesar (The Praetorian Series: Book II) by Edward Crichton - Free Book Online
Authors: Edward Crichton
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problem, Jacob. I’ve been meaning to take my family on a vacation.”
“Just be careful, and work as quickly as you can. We may need to alter the plan at some point.”
He gave me a smile and tightened his grip on my hand. “Like there was any doubt of that.”
Pulling on his bag and traveler’s cloak, he leaned over and g ave Helena a kiss on the cheek before he left, leaving the two of us alone. We watched him go but Helena quickly spoke up.
“Do you really think this is going to work?”
“Why not? If Agrippina can stage a coup, so can I.”
“What if it’s not necessary?”
I sighed. “If we don’t…”
Helena reached out and snatched my hands, the first sign of attention she’d shown me in months. “ Damn it, Jacob! You don’t know what to do! You just don’t! You’re doing exactly what you said Vincent did four years ago. You’re messing with people’s lives. You’re changing the past, not fixing it. We don’t need to do anything because it will work itself out on its own.” She leaned in closer. “We can just leave it be. Retire. Let history play itself out without our interference. We can go anywhere, find someplace quiet and live out our lives. We can even bring Sant…”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I yanked my hands away from hers. “When did you stop trusting me?”
She leaned back and folded her arms across her chest, her expression still upset.
“It’s not a matter of trust, Jacob. I simply don’t want us throwing away our lives for nothing.”
“Open your eyes, Helena! We screw ed up. We altered the timeline and we need to fix it. There’s no mystical force out there that’s going to set it straight for us. You think God’s going to help out? You know as well as I, that’s not how He works. The only way to fix anything is to do it ourselves. If things turn out for the better, so be it. At least my conscience will be appeased.”
She didn’t interrupt me as she sat there, her arms still folded, her expression unchanged , so I pressed on. “Put everything aside except Caligula. What about him? He’s proof everything we do here can change history. Without a competent emperor doing competent things for the next fifteen years, things will go from bad to worse.”
She almost laughed. “Anything can happen in fifteen years. Even if you are right, that’s a long time for someone to avoid an accident, fail to make enemies, do something stupid, or have a change of heart.”
“And you’re willing to just let…” I cringed at the word I had to use, “ fate right all our wrongs for us?”
“Call it faith, Jacob. One man can’t change the fate of the entire world on his own.”
I came up short with my next reply. It was a profound sentiment, one that made almost too much sense, but as much as I wanted to believe her, I couldn’t.
Just as I opened my mouth to answer, Santino meandered into the tavern with his young barmaid on his arm. She left him with a kiss and made her way back to her duties while he moved over to our table.
“Can you try to trust me just a little bit longer, Helena?”
She didn’t answer.
Santino sat down and put his booted feet up on the table. “So? What’d I miss?”
“Bordeaux decided to help us,” I reported while Helena looked away. “He’s going to find Wang and Vincent and meet us back here in a few months.”
“Let me guess. He bought into your whole, ‘save the universe’ plan, eh?”
“Actually, he did. I’ve always liked him.”
“You like anybody who agrees with you.”
I glanced at Helena. “Yeah, I guess I do. But who wouldn’t?”
“So, what’s the plan?”
“Screw things up even more,” Helena mumbled under her breath, and I couldn’t help but wonder, somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind, if she was right.
***
On the second morning after our meeting with Bordeaux, we headed north, following
“Just be careful, and work as quickly as you can. We may need to alter the plan at some point.”
He gave me a smile and tightened his grip on my hand. “Like there was any doubt of that.”
Pulling on his bag and traveler’s cloak, he leaned over and g ave Helena a kiss on the cheek before he left, leaving the two of us alone. We watched him go but Helena quickly spoke up.
“Do you really think this is going to work?”
“Why not? If Agrippina can stage a coup, so can I.”
“What if it’s not necessary?”
I sighed. “If we don’t…”
Helena reached out and snatched my hands, the first sign of attention she’d shown me in months. “ Damn it, Jacob! You don’t know what to do! You just don’t! You’re doing exactly what you said Vincent did four years ago. You’re messing with people’s lives. You’re changing the past, not fixing it. We don’t need to do anything because it will work itself out on its own.” She leaned in closer. “We can just leave it be. Retire. Let history play itself out without our interference. We can go anywhere, find someplace quiet and live out our lives. We can even bring Sant…”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I yanked my hands away from hers. “When did you stop trusting me?”
She leaned back and folded her arms across her chest, her expression still upset.
“It’s not a matter of trust, Jacob. I simply don’t want us throwing away our lives for nothing.”
“Open your eyes, Helena! We screw ed up. We altered the timeline and we need to fix it. There’s no mystical force out there that’s going to set it straight for us. You think God’s going to help out? You know as well as I, that’s not how He works. The only way to fix anything is to do it ourselves. If things turn out for the better, so be it. At least my conscience will be appeased.”
She didn’t interrupt me as she sat there, her arms still folded, her expression unchanged , so I pressed on. “Put everything aside except Caligula. What about him? He’s proof everything we do here can change history. Without a competent emperor doing competent things for the next fifteen years, things will go from bad to worse.”
She almost laughed. “Anything can happen in fifteen years. Even if you are right, that’s a long time for someone to avoid an accident, fail to make enemies, do something stupid, or have a change of heart.”
“And you’re willing to just let…” I cringed at the word I had to use, “ fate right all our wrongs for us?”
“Call it faith, Jacob. One man can’t change the fate of the entire world on his own.”
I came up short with my next reply. It was a profound sentiment, one that made almost too much sense, but as much as I wanted to believe her, I couldn’t.
Just as I opened my mouth to answer, Santino meandered into the tavern with his young barmaid on his arm. She left him with a kiss and made her way back to her duties while he moved over to our table.
“Can you try to trust me just a little bit longer, Helena?”
She didn’t answer.
Santino sat down and put his booted feet up on the table. “So? What’d I miss?”
“Bordeaux decided to help us,” I reported while Helena looked away. “He’s going to find Wang and Vincent and meet us back here in a few months.”
“Let me guess. He bought into your whole, ‘save the universe’ plan, eh?”
“Actually, he did. I’ve always liked him.”
“You like anybody who agrees with you.”
I glanced at Helena. “Yeah, I guess I do. But who wouldn’t?”
“So, what’s the plan?”
“Screw things up even more,” Helena mumbled under her breath, and I couldn’t help but wonder, somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind, if she was right.
***
On the second morning after our meeting with Bordeaux, we headed north, following
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