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With this newfound windfall, Gordianus and
Bethesda prepare to travel to Egypt to find a cure for her malady. Since pregnant, Gordianus forces Diana to stay behind with Davus. Instead, he plans to bring Rupa and Cassandra’s ashes despite Diana’s disgust. The two then ponder upon what Egypt holds for
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stir up trouble in Italy. Meanwhile, in Rome, the beautiful and mysterious seeress called
Cassandra is poisoned, and dies in the arms of Gordianus in the market. With no one to claim the body, Gordianus makes her funeral arrangements which is surprisingly attended by the seven most powerful women in
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Meanwhile, Gordianus continues reminiscing on his time with the young
Cassandra in flashbacks, including the start of their affair while his wife of many years lay at home dying. Despite the fact that she was young enough to be his granddaughter, he believes that the two fell in love.
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approached
Gordianus the last time he saw Cassandra illicitly. The two men attempted to conscript Gordianus into their plans for revolution. When he refuses, they threaten to kill him but drug him instead. Momentarily gaining consciousness, Gordianus overhears
307:, mimicking Cassandra’s actions months before. The actress reveals that she met Cassandra in her native city of Alexandria when they were both children. In their youth, Cassandra was known to occasionally have seizures. Unsure if Cassandra was acting or not,
245:. Home with her sister, the Vestal Fabia, the pair recall how they met Cassandra. Finding her on the temple steps, on the very day Gordianus first laid eyes on her, Fabia took her in and then introduced her to
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encounter with her. Witnessing
Cassandra back at her home, Antonia declares her to be a fraud and throws her out—but not before setting a tail on her. Later, it’s revealed that Cassandra went directly to
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arguing about keeping him alive due to a promise made to the witch, presumably
Cassandra. After 24 hours, he awakes and goes to Cassandra’s room only to find it stripped bare.
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hot on his tail. Surprisingly, Cassandra’s brother, Rupa, then steps forward with a letter written by his sister. In the letter, she requests that
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a false prophecy of doom to stop their revolt. Before leaving, she asks
Gordianus to let her know what he uncovers about Cassandra’s death.
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wife, a visit. After complaining about her husband, she explains how she sought
Cassandra out a couple months before after hearing about
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admits to asking
Cassandra to give Antonia a fake prophecy as a prank. While confessing she knows nothing about Cassandra’s death,
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and reveals that she stopped him from killing
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estranged wife. Similarly to the others, it’s revealed that Cassandra came by and spoke gibberish, leaving
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While tending to Bethesda the next few days, as he should’ve been all along, news reaches him that both
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poisoned her instead. Having confessed everything, she then takes poison herself, committing suicide.
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a prophecy of victory to ensure his demise. When the actress came to collect the rest of her payment,
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recruited a talented actress from Alexandria to play a mad seeress. Using the intel she received from
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give Gordianus the money she earned as a spy to pay off his debts in return for him adopting Rupa.
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revolt. Avoiding all his questions about Cassandra, Gordianus decides to visit her another time.
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calls upon him instead. Traveling by litter, he is delivered to a secret house of
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reveals that Rupa, the mute young man seen with Cassandra, was her brother.
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finally received news of his death, confirming Cassandra’s vision.
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direct orders. Putting the pieces together, Gordianus reports to
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reveals that she met Cassandra a couple months before he or
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a note sharing that Cassandra had prophesied a victory to
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with the pair believing in Cassandra’s gift of prophecy.
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series of mystery stories set in the final decades of the
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reveals this was Cassandra’s true residence as one of
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died. Pondering the latest news, Gordianus heads for
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462:reveals that she truly loved him. Before
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808:See guidelines for writing about novels
492:confesses to bribing Cassandra to give
283:Gordianus and Davus then pay Antonia,
205:clash across the sea in Greece while
175:in 2002. It is the ninth book in his
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867:Novels set in the 1st century BC
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384:wife. Beating him to the punch,
106:Print (hardback & paperback)
272:recalls how Cassandra foresaw
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882:2000s historical novel stubs
800:. You can help Knowledge by
16:2002 novel by Steven Saylor
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712:A Gladiator Dies Only Once
621:A Murder on the Appian Way
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887:Ancient Rome novel stubs
877:St. Martin's Press books
704:The House of the Vestals
511:has triumphed. Fleeing,
345:, the two then seek out
420:had been in touch with
653:The Judgment of Caesar
515:has run to Egypt with
149:The Judgment of Caesar
788:This article about a
661:The Triumph of Caesar
637:Last Seen in Massilia
171:, first published by
136:Last Seen in Massilia
79:St. Martin's Minotaur
20:A Mist of Prophecies
862:2002 American novels
792:of the 2000s set in
685:The Throne of Caesar
645:A Mist of Prophecies
187:Gordianus the Finder
160:A Mist of Prophecies
677:Wrath of the Furies
669:Raiders of the Nile
482:before confronting
360:It’s revealed that
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414:Calpurnia
394:Calpurnia
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232:Calpurnia
75:Publisher
503:Back at
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426:Caelius’
404:advice,
398:Caesar’s
390:Caesar’s
382:Caesar’s
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341:Leaving
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289:Fulvia’s
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243:Terentia
220:Cytheris
216:Terentia
47:Language
629:Rubicon
464:Caelius
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371:Caelius
366:Caelius
328:Sulla’s
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258:Curio’s
211:Caelius
50:English
763:(2010)
760:Empire
755:(2007)
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688:(2018)
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592:(1991)
581:Novels
573:series
517:Caesar
513:Pompey
509:Caesar
498:Fausta
490:Fausta
484:Fausta
468:Clodia
460:Clodia
422:Clodia
410:Caesar
406:Caesar
347:Clodia
343:Fausta
336:Fausta
332:Milo’s
324:Fausta
278:Fulvia
270:Fulvia
262:Fulvia
254:Fulvia
236:Clodia
234:, and
228:Fausta
224:Fulvia
203:Pompey
199:Caesar
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114:270 pp
55:Series
37:Author
872:48 BC
796:is a
214:Rome—
163:is a
111:Pages
65:Genre
798:stub
752:Roma
742:Roma
494:Milo
472:Milo
439:and
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430:Milo
364:and
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209:and
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