Chapter 4
Aurelia and Fabia watched with great interest as the first-round pairings were announced. Aurelia was her usual meticulous self in her preparation for this mission, and it came as no surprise to Fabia that she was able to explain much of what confused her.
It was Aurelia who had come up with the idea to monitor the events unfolding, even though she cared very little for athletic competitions. The Roman cared a great deal for successful campaigns, however, and knew from experience that little in life happened as planned. A good operative, she knew that adjustment along the way usually ensured the success of a mission, and if you weren’t paying attention, you didn’t know what, where, or how much to adjust. If anything, this may have been Aurelia’s fatal flaw. She tended to micro-
