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      The Colour of Power

      Marié Heese

      Human & Rousseau

      I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the following people: Melanie and Fanie Cilliers, to whom this book is dedicated, for their interest and suggestions, and for bringing useful sources to my attention; my excellent literary agent, Daniel Lazar, who asked questions (via e-mail from New York) that prompted restructuring and several rewrites; Alida Potgieter, my editor at Human & Rousseau, for her belief in me and for insightful comments; Louis and Ann Hiemstra for sharing their medical knowledge with me (if there are errors, go ahead and blame them, what do I know?); Louise Steyn, for editing with precision and helping to improve several scenes; Mignon van Coller for technological support; and the team at Human & Rousseau for their contributions to making this book – still, I believe, an artefact that has soul, which is lacking in electronic versions, convenient though they are. E-books just won’t ever compete, in my opinion. They have no texture, no heft and no smell.

      Thanks to my friend Amanda Botha who helps to promote my work in various ways.

      As always, I would like to thank my husband, Chris. He offers criticism that doesn’t occur to other readers but can’t be ignored. This time, his contribution was far greater than usual: he pulled me out of a plot hole, pushed me into rewriting and took me to Istanbul. Despite occasional complaints, he is a singularly supportive and patient writer’s spouse on top of his own remarkable projects, which are time-consuming and numerous. Thank you, Chris, for all of that.

      List of Characters

      Fictitious characters are indicated with an asterisk (see Author’s Note on p. 361 for comments)

      Acasius, Theodora’s father, bearkeeper, I suggest also former

      Syrian priest

      Alexia, daughter to Antonina (real person, father unknown,

      invented name)

      Amantius, Grand Chamberlain

      Anastasia, Theodora’s mother, actress (real person, invented name)

      Anastasia (Stasie), Theodora’s younger sister

      Anastasius (“old Odd-eyes”), Emperor of Byzantium

      Anastasius, grandson to Theodora, born to Juliana and Zeno

      Antonina, actress and friend of Theodora, marries Belisarius

      Asterius, Dancing Master of the Greens

      Belisarius, general and later Commander in Chief of

      the Byzantine army

      Cappadocian John, Praetorian Prefect of the East, tax collecter

      Celer, eunuch and Master of Offices

      Chrysomallo, acrobat and dancer, friend to Theodora

      Comito, Theodora’s elder sister, actress and courtesan

      *Darius Pollo, Theodora’s first protector

      *Denderis, a eunuch major-domo to Hecebolus

      *Eric, spear-bearer to Vitalian

      Eudaemon, Praetorian Prefect of Constantinople

      Euphemia, formerly the slave Lupicina, Empress of Byzantium

      *Fat Rosa, a washerwoman

      Father Epiphanius, Patriarch of Constantinople

      *Father Rufus, palace priest in Appollonia

      Father Sabas, holy man

      Father Samson, holy man and healer

      Father Severus, deposed Patriarch of Antioch sheltering in Alexandria

      Father Timothy, Patriarch of Alexandria

      *Gaius Lepidus, champion charioteer

      Hecebolus, becomes Governor of the Pentapolis in Africa,

      Theodora’s lover

      Hypatius, military man, nephew of Anastasius

      Indaro, acrobat and dancer, friend to Theodora

      Juliana, Theodora’s daughter by Hecebolus (real person,

      invented name, father not identified)

      Justin, a peasant and military man, follows Anastasius

      as Emperor of Byzantium

      Justinian, excubitor, Justin’s nephew, becomes Consul,

      later Emperor of Byzantium

      Lupicina, see Euphemia

      Macedonia, dancing girl, spy

      *Marcellina, friend to Theodora in Africa

      *Marcus Anicius Longinus, senator, protector of Comito

      Marius, Dancing Master of the Blues (real person, invented name)

      *Mother Sophia, Mother Superior of convent in Alexandria

      Mundus, general in Byzantine army

      Narses, a eunuch, Commander of the Imperial Guard

      Peter, bearkeeper, second husband of Anastasia (Theodora’s mother)

      Photius, son of Antonina, father unknown

      Pompeius, military man, nephew of Anastasius

      Probus, military man, nephew of Anastasius, father to Zeno

      who marries Juliana

      Procopius, secretary and legal adviser to Belisarius, historian

      *Ragu, assistant to Acasius

      *Sister Agnes, nun and wool-spinner

      *Sister Margaret, nun and gardener

      Sittas, general in Byzantine army, marries Comito

      Sophia, daughter born to Comito and General Sittas

      Theocritus, claimant to the throne after Anastasius dies

      Theodora, actress and courtesan, becomes Empress of Byzantium

      Theodosius, mapmaker, adopted godson to Belisarius and Antonina

      Tribonian, legal expert

      Vitalian, soldier, Consul

      Zeno, son of Probus, marries Juliana (real person, invented name)

      Sundry other persons such as a mandator, slaves, soldiers, priests, housewives, dancing girls, etc.

      Power is my mistress. I have worked too hard at her conquest to allow anyone to take her away from me.

      Napoleon Bonaparte

      Prologue: The Nika revolt begins, 10-13 January, AD 532

      Narses the eunuch: his journal

      In the year of Our Lord 532, January 13

      There is insurrection in the air. I can smell it. Constantinople smells of many things, depending on who you are: incense and myrrh, floral perfume, spices, salt sea air, fresh bread, fried fish, dried dung, human excrement and piles of garbage left to rot. Right now, the bitter smell of smouldering fires, borne on a raging north wind, permeates the palace where we have sheltered for long hours. The New Rome, founded by Constantine on the Bosphorus when the Old Rome finally fell to the barbarians, is itself now the victim of barbaric acts; what, after all, is the difference between a Christian and a barbarian when either is capable of putting the Church of the Holy Wisdom to the torch? The monumental Walls of Theodosius are

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