"Chelsea Quinn Yarbro - Olivia 1 - A Flame in Byzantium" - читать интересную книгу автора (Yarbro Chelsea Quinn)

heard by many and is not the result of mere rumors and fears that are current with many of those
still living within the walls of the city.
It is of particular note that those who should be most stalwart in their dutyтАФthe religious of
RomaтАФhave fled in great numbers, and it would astonish me to find more than two hundred
priests and monks in Roma to minister to the thousands of unfortunates who have remained
faithful to their God and Roma.
While there are many who look to the Byzantines to succor us before Totila can break through
our defenses, Your Holiness must understand that it is only through their efforts that any
semblance of defense has been maintained at the present, and it would not be unreasonable to
prepare for worse to come, for although the great Belisarius brings his men to our aid, the force is
smaller than the one that the Emperor of Constantinople promised to provide, and they are not as
well-equipped as they had been represented to be. No one wishes to think of the ruin of this
greatest of cities, but there can be little doubt that no matter how vigilant we are, there are many
here who will suffer, and the city will not be spared entirely.
I do not wish to make it appear that I am entirely without hope, for that would be a greater sin
than the one the pagans intend to commit here. Yet I would be lax in my duty to you as a priest if I
did not say it would be prudent to prepare for the worst, so that such things as sacred relics and
objects of veneration may be hidden or otherwise protected from the possible ravages of the
Ostrogothic warriors who are bent on destroying the city before the height of summer.
Your Holiness would do well to fortify Monte Casino against the barbarians, and to make an
official request of Belisarius to give you and your company the protection that was assured you by
the Emperor Justinian more than three years ago. If the Church is to survive, it must have the aid
and assistance of all who are devoted to Our Lord and His Church. Whether they are of
Byzantium or of Roma, surely there can be no argument that the fate of Christianity is in the
hands of those willing to take up the cause of Our Lord in the face of those who are determined to
bring the Church and her city to their knees.
What draws the pagans are the earthly treasures which have been stored up out of piety and
devotion. But these are not the true riches of the Church, and while the pagans seek only silver
and gold, they assault far more than walls to obtain it. If we fail to defend the outward gifts of the
Church, it is only too likely that we will also fail to defend the spiritual ramparts as well. I pray
every hour that none of this will come to pass, but while I pray, I seek out men of experience to
aid in the earthly battle, and I admonish all I see to offer up their orisons to God and the Mother
Maria for the salvation of our city and our souls.
In all humility and faith, and with unswerving dedication to Your Holiness and our Church, I
sign myself your most lowly Brother in Christ,
Formosus
Priest from Ostia
currently with the Curia in Roma



By late afternoon the first contingent of soldiers arrived, making camp around the old villa in fields and
orchards that were just coming into blossom. For novelty the old baths were fired up and many of the
men boisterously used them, marveling at the depravity of the old Romans with their passion for bathing.
"What do you think?" Niklos Aulirios asked his owner as he stared out the windows at the camp that
had grown up around them.
From her writing desk, Olivia Clemens did not answer at first; she was putting the last touches on a
writ of manumission for two more slaves. Only when she had affixed both her signature and her seal did
she answer. "What do I think about what?"
"These Byzantines," her Greek majordomo replied. "I'm not sure they're better than the Ostrogoths."