Marcus Aurelius Betrayed (3 page)

Judge Severus acknowledged the message and put on a cloak. He then left the cabin, inhaled the salty sea air and shivered a bit as a wind picked up. He was escorted to the captain’s chair on the rear deck. The Trierarch was standing under his canopy, waiting to greet the judge. He was dressed only in a light sailor’s tunic and his rugged
face and physique showed the sea weather had long ago etched itself on his body, as a natural part of him.

“Tiberius Valens,” saluted the ship’s captain. “Trierarch of the
Argo
.” The judge exchanged a polite greeting kiss with the seaman. “I’ll get directly to the point,” began Valens. “My orders are to get you to Alexandria as fast as possible. Then I’m to remain in the harbor with my ship and crew at your disposal.”

Severus nodded affirmatively.

“In that case,” continued the Trierarch, “I would appreciate knowing what our mission is. The Prefect of the Misenum Fleet said I would find out from you,
eminentissime
.”

“There has been an attempt to assassinate the Prefect of Egypt,” said Severus directly, “and I’ve been personally assigned by the Emperor to find out who did it and to make sure the Prefect stays alive.”

The Trierarch looked grave.

“Your ship, Trierarch, is assigned to me for the duration of my mission. The entire crew, both sailors and marines, will remain available for shore duty and the ship will tie up in Alexandria harbor, ready at a moment’s notice for rapid communication with Rome or anywhere else I might have to send you. As the Emperor himself put it to me, I’ll have my own personal army and navy on this mission.”

Severus reached into his cloak and pulled out a rolled up document, bearing an impressive Imperial Seal. “SPQR” it said on it. The four letters conveyed the full authority of the State,
Senatus Populusque Romanus
, the Senate and the People of Rome. Emperors deliberately spoke in the name of the Republic.

The judge handed the document to the Trierarch. Valens took his written orders and saluted the judge. “At your service,
eminentissime
”

And at his command, the ship slipped its moorings, and to the rhythm of a drummer began its fast two-week voyage from the port of Rome to
Alexandria ad Aegyptum
, Alexandria at Egypt. The oars were now projected fully outward and moved in their two banks in drilled unison to take the warship out to sea. In short order, Severus felt the up and down and forward motion of the moving vessel, heard and saw the spray shoot up around the sides and felt it vaporize in the air about him. Half the passengers were already seasick.

For the next ten days the war galley headed at maximum speed for Egypt. When the winds were favorable, the crew plied the halyards, raised the booms and billowed out the sails. One large sail amidship and a smaller one raking over the prow powered the vessel through the water at a fast 8 knots, while two large stern rudders, one on either side of the ship, guided its course. When the wind subsided, the oars sprung out in their two banks on each side and the quadrireme churned through the sea like a hundred-foot-long centipede, while the drummer, keeping time, sounded the beast’s call.

The galley hugged the west coast of Italy to Messina in Sicily, sailing by day and stopping at a shore by night. Then it darted across the open sea to the north coast of Africa, making landfall at Lepcis Magna in the Province of Numidia. From there, it turned east and hugged the shore again, sailing and rowing along the coast of Cyrenaica toward Egypt.

The weather remained perfect for the length of the voyage. The sea was calm, but breezy during the day, and the nights were all wonderfully clear and fresh. For the passengers it was a welcome vacation from the stifling heat, humidity and smog of Rome, except for the time they spent being seasick.

During the days, Judge Severus, his wife and his staff enjoyed the voyage, walking the deck, basking in the sun, reading, talking together, touring the warship and just contemplating the sea. At nights they spent long hours gazing at the Moon, the planets and the stars and, prompted by Severus, talking about astronomy. It was one of his favorite subjects. He had studied it seriously ever since childhood.

Artemisia regaled the company with tales of Egypt. She read to them from Herodotus’ account of his visit to Egypt 600 years earlier and the peculiar customs of Egyptians he noticed or was told about or made up. Many customs, he pointed out, were the opposite of the practices of Greeks and Romans, among others. According to Herodotus, everywhere in the world men urinated standing up while women squatted. Except in Egypt. There men squatted to pee, while women stood up. Everywhere in the world people kneaded bread dough with their hands and clay with their feet. Except in Egypt. There Egyptians kneaded the dough with their feet, but clay with their hands. In mourning, many peoples shaved their heads, while Egyptians let their hair grow. A lot of mirth accompanied her readings.

More mirth accompanied Severus’ reading of Juvenal’s satire on Egypt. “Who doesn’t know what monstrosities demented Egypt worships? One part
adores the crocodile, another quakes before the ibis that gorges itself on snakes…another worships the shining golden effigy of the long-tailed monkey. Here cats, there river fish, there whole towns venerate a dog…but it is an impious outrage to chomp to pieces leeks and onions…”

“Maybe,” quipped the judge’s legal assessor Flaccus, “we should turn around and go home right now.”

The evening before their arrival in Alexandria, Judge Severus called a conference in his cabin. His wife and all his aides attended. Alexander, the judge’s former slave and present private secretary, lit the oil lamps with a sulfur match. He was a slim man and though middle aged, he looked boyish. His professional training and experience as a librarian and his deep interest in books and knowledge could almost be seen in the fine features of his face and the faraway look in his eyes. Alexander was more excited by an interesting fact than most people were by a victory of their favorite gladiator in the arena.

The two military members of the judge’s staff came in first. Caius Vulso, a Centurion, and Publius Aelianus Straton, a lower ranked Tesserarius, were both members of Rome’s Urban Cohort and carried out the police work in the judge’s criminal investigations. They were, however, quite different.

Vulso, an army veteran, had served 20 years with the legions in Europe, Asia and Africa. He was resourceful, tough and smart in the ways of the world. And since his military career had included a stint with the Legion II Traiana Fortis, stationed in Nikopolis, four miles east of Alexandria, he would be particularly useful on this mission.

Vulso was big and strong with broad shoulders and legs like columns. He sported a short, clipped military beard and his features were somewhat brutal, as he himself sometimes was, but he had educated himself and was naturally clever. He carried out his tasks for the judge one way or another. No one would want to tangle with him.

Straton was average height and wiry. He had not come to the Urban Cohort after retirement from the army. Rather as a child he had been a slave in the imperial household of the Emperor Hadrian and had been freed upon Hadrian’s death. He automatically became a Roman citizen upon manumission by a Roman citizen but he never lost his animosity towards those people whose slave he had been. Still, Straton was expert at undercover assignments, his average looks and sad brown eyes allowing him to blend in almost anywhere. He could pose as anyone from a wandering philosopher to a carriage driver to a slave to a member of the imperial household.

He and Vulso admired each other’s skills and competence, and were friends, but they disliked each other’s attitudes. Vulso deliberately projected himself as a proud and aggressive Roman; Straton saw himself as a subtle and cynical Greek.

Both men exchanged greeting kisses with the judge and Alexander and plunked down in chairs. Vulso grabbed an apple from a fruit bowl on a table. It had just been taken out of its crate and still felt cool from the snow it had been packed in.

“Where’s Flaccus and Proculus?” asked the Centurion, taking a huge bite.

“They’ll be here any moment,” replied Severus.

Artemisia was intently studying a map of Alexandria, unfurled on her lap. “Where is the Hadrianum, Vulso?” she asked. “The place where we’re staying.”

“Near the center,” replied Vulso. “Between Caesar’s Palace and the Claudium.”

“Now I see it,” said Artemisia, moving her finger to a spot on the map. “And the Hadrianum houses the Roman government?”

“Yes. Most of the offices and apartments of officials are there. We’ll probably be assigned rooms there ourselves.”

“I expect it’s a beautiful building,” commented Artemisia, “if the Emperor Hadrian had it built. He probably designed it himself.”

“It is a beautiful building,” replied Vulso. “It’s adorned with galleries, libraries, porches, courts, halls, walks, groves, as well as choice paintings, mosaics and statues. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

“And where was Cleopatra’s palace? I have to spend some time there in researching my biography of her.”

“I’m not sure, but I think it was in the same area.”

The curtain parted and Gaius Sempronius Flaccus, the judge’s judicial assessor, and Quintus Proculus, his court clerk, entered the cabin. Flaccus was a young man, now five years out of the law school of Sabinus and Cassius, the same school Severus had attended, as did his father and his father before him. Flaccus had served as Severus’ assessor right out of law school and was endowed with a quick wit, irreverent humor and a good legal mind.

Quintus Proculus was in his late sixties. He took down judicial proceedings in ‘Tironian Notes’ shorthand, supervised the court records, prepared legal documents, and oversaw the court slaves. He was a stickler for detail and had a deep respect for the protocols of a Roman court. Having spent his life in the courts, he knew more about law than most lawyers – and most judges as well.

When polite greetings had been exchanged and everyone was comfortably seated, Judge Severus opened the meeting.

“Since we arrive in Alexandria tomorrow morning,” he began, “I thought it would be a good thing if we had a briefing. The trip has been a little vacation so far, but we should now consider the investigation officially underway.”

There were nods of agreement all around.

“So far I’ve only told you the purpose of our mission -- to capture the person who tried to kill the Prefect of Egypt and prevent any other attempts on the Prefect’s life. Now, I’d like to tell you the details of the case as I know them.”

The flickering oil lamps, the creaking ship and the slurping of the water filled a pause. The judge took a sip of spicy red wine.

“It’s slightly embarrassing for the Prefect,” said Severus with a wry grin. “The attempt on his life was made at an orgy. Someone put poison in his wine cup. However, in the confusion of the orgy, his wine was drunk by a man on the next couch, an official of the Imperial Post – the
Cursus Publicus
- named Titus Pudens. Pudens dropped dead on the spot.”

Severus took a sheet of papyrus from a file on his lap and unfurled it. “I have a list of the guests.”

He scanned it quickly to refresh his memory and then let it roll up. “The orgy was held in the Prefect’s private apartment in the Hadrianum. Including the Prefect, there were seven men and seven women. All the women were professional
hetairai
, from the finest and most exclusive house in Alexandria.”

“Which one?” asked Vulso.

“The House of Selene,” answered the judge. “Do you know it?”

“I know of it,” replied the Centurion. “When I was with the Legion II Traiana Fortis some of the wealthy officers would often mention it with appreciation. But it’s too rich for my tastes and the women are too intellectual.”

“Vulso prefers the ones around the docks,” quipped Flaccus.

Vulso guffawed, along with everyone else.

“The dead man, Pudens,” continued Severus, “was one of the guests. He was an inspector in the Imperial Post in Alexandria. It seems he was the guest of honor at the orgy.

“Also present was the Prefect’s stepson and personal aide, a young man named Secundus.

“Then there was a man named Philogenes. He’s a Homeric scholar on the staff of the Great Library of Alexandria.”

“I’m glad to see,” commented Vulso, “that he has other interests besides books.”

Alexander, the former librarian, gave Vulso a fishy look.

“Then,” continued the judge, there was an Egyptian, a Priest of Isis, named Petamon.

“I thought priests of Isis are supposed to be celibate,” sneered Straton.

“Apparently,” remarked Flaccus, “this one hasn’t heard about it.”

“Of the final two guests at the orgy, one Isarion is an antique dealer in Alexandria. It seems the Prefect is a collector. The other, Serpentinus, is a member of the Prefect’s staff.”

“Serpentinus? A snake?” commented Flaccus. “I suspect him already.”

Severus put the file on a low table next to his chair.

“The Prefect, as you all know, is a very important person. Not only does he hold the second highest government post reserved for Equestrians, after the Prefect of Praetorians, but he governs the most important province in the Empire. Because of its huge grain supply that feeds the dole for the city of Rome, Egypt is not an ordinary province. It is a personal possession of the Emperor and no one of the Senatorial Class is allowed in without written permission – a visa – from the Emperor.”

“No senators subverting the stability of the imperial regime,” commented Vulso with sarcasm in his voice.

“The Prefecture of Egypt,” continued Severus, “is the culmination of a lifetime career of outstanding government service and no one attains that post without good reason. Marcus Annius Calvus, the present Prefect, and the intended victim of the assassination, held a series of high government jobs, both in Rome and the provinces, before his present post. He has a reputation as an administrative and tax expert. Though held in esteem in government circles, he may of course have made personal enemies through his official actions and we’ll have to be
probing along these lines in our investigation. We’ll also have to keep in mind the possibility that this was a political assassination attempt, either done by or at the behest of the Persians or maybe even for internal Egyptian reasons. Remember, we’re at war with Persia, and the
spasaka
, the ‘Eye of the Great King’ may be active in Egypt. And there also has been frequent internal strife in Alexandria.