In a warm autumn of 200 BC, a young woman slipped through the streets of Rome. The cool air buzzed with life, as the proud Roman citizens were enjoying a harvest bounty. Nobody noticed a figure slip through the crowds and out to the courthouse. Here, in times of peace, a government was never settled.
Decia Grateus had been taken from her Italian homeland and raised to be a spy for the Roman empire. Her work traded hands and in the end, she proved good at it. The woman walked into the halls with no resistance. Even the city guard can’t stay away from free food.
She slipped into the bathhouse. Decia knew his routine now. This was the time to squeeze some information. Lucius Vitalus was a senator for an opposing party, one filled with a hate that would crumble Rome. A veteran of war, information couldn’t be tortured out of him. Free from his war, Decia could see he put a little weight on his muscle, and sat with his eyes closed on a marble slab in front of a firepit. The man was balding, a bit overweight, and wearing a traditional summer toga.