Julian.
Do you forget the invisible bodyguard around the Lord's anointed?
Helena.
Christ is good. Oh, be pious, Julian, and He will forgive much. I will help. Prayers shall go up for you. Praised be the saints! Praised be the martyrs! Trust me, we will atone for everything later. Give me the Alemanni to convert; I will send out priests among them; they shall bow under the mercy of the cross.
Julian.
The Alemanni will not bow.
Helena.
Then they shall die! Like sweet incense shall their blood rise up to Him, the blessed One. We will magnify His glory; His praise shall be made manifest in us. I myself will do my part. The women of the Alemanni shall be my care. If they will not bow, they shall be sacrificed! And then, my Julian—when next you see me; young, young once more! Give me the women of the Alemanni, my beloved! Blood—'twould be no murder, and the remedy is a sovereign one—a bath of young virgins' blood
Julian.
Helena, the thought is crime!
Helena.
Is it crime to commit crime for your sake?
