She walked a few paces to where couches were set around a central table beside a pigeonhole shelf filled with scrolls.
“This is my sanctuary,” she said to herself, running her hands along the shelves so that they brushed the rolled papyri, played with the silk ties around them that hung from their niches. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, feeling herself growing calm again. Then, she turned and went to one of the couches where she had been re-reading Heroicus.
As she unrolled the scroll, her mind carried her away, the words a raft to take her to safety and forgetfulness.
The light that had been angling its way into her apartments from outside was gone when Julia Domna opened her her eyes. She had been covered in furs by her women, and a bright, warm brazier had been set behind ea
