Nero’s eyes opened wide as if he were afraid of what he was about to say. He licked his greasy lips and began to speak quickly.
“There is a dangerous little group of people who are getting stronger all the time. They want to destroy our palaces and our temples. They want to kill the great Jupiter and all our gods. They are cannibals! They eat flesh and they will happily burn down Rome to ruin us all. They are called Christians, my friends. We must seek them out and destroy them! Every last one. They will be placed on poles and covered in tar, then set alight. They will burn like torches to light up Rome and show the world what we do to rebels. They will be torn apart in the games – I will build a new arena when I build my golden house! They will be crucified by the road sides and they will be stoned in the streets. They shall never defeat Nero and his Roman heroes.” The emperor was screaming now and the lords were starting to cheer his words. “Go out there and find these snakes, these fire raisers, these devils! Kill them all!”
The lords stepped back to let the raging Nero leave.
Mary crept towards the door but the crowd of men in togas blocked her path. Mary found herself looking through a gap between two togas just as the emperor marched past. He had no beard now, but she knew his face.
The last time she had seen it, he had been wearing an eye patch. The last time she had seen him, he had been running from the fire he had started.
Now it was Mary’s turn to run. First to warn the Christian leaders, Peter and Paul, before the hunt started. And then to try and save herself.
Mary ran and the words of master Tullus came back to her.
“Rome is a dangerous place, Mary,” the old man had whispered. “A dangerous place…”
She ran as if the Devil himself was after her… She remembered the cruel face of the emperor… Maybe he was.