Swords of Rome (5 page)

Gaius scrunched his nose as he smelled what was cooking over the small fireplace directly in front of the door. A large cast-iron pot sat over the medium-burning flame. The contents inside: a
brown sloppy mess, which he was all too familiar with eating over the past two years, was boiling over. He didn’t wait for his father to come back before he reached on top of the fireplace and pulled down one of the two bowls and spoons that rested above.

Stirring the stew, which made him turn his head slightly from the smell, Gaius finally scooped out a large portion for and spooned it into his bowl, before walking over to the long table that sat on the opposite side of the room, and took one of the stools.

The stew smelled worse than it actually tasted, but after having to swallow the slop nearly every day for two years, since his mother’s passing, he was beyond tolerant of it by now.

It was a shade of brown; thick and had a foul odor that reminded him of a dead rabbit he found last year behind the barn, which had been decomposing for a week.
Inside was cuts of beef, various vegetables and some other stuff he had never been able to identify, nor was he sure that he wanted to.

Gaius grabbed a hearty piece of bread, tearing it free from the loaf and dipped it into the bowl. As he took his first bite, as he always did, he plugged his nose with one hand, while scoping a spoonful in
to his mouth with the other. Then soon after, he poured himself a cup of water from a clay jug that sat in the center of the table, and gulped it down in one sitting, before pouring another cup. He repeated this process for the first five minutes, eating as quickly as he could, both because he was hungry, and out of nervousness about what he was going to say to his father when he returned. A part of him wished he might get to bed sooner so that he could avoid the conversation altogether. However, he had promised Antony he would see what his father said about the subject of going to Rome.

Gaius heard the latch on the front door as his father stepped inside, carrying a stack full of logs in one arm, and a heavy iron axe in his other.

He glanced back at his father, Julius, as he set the logs down by the fire – sweat dripping down from his brow as he then walked over to the fireplace and readied his own bowl of stew.

Julius was a tall, muscular man, taller and bigger than most Roman men, which
were contributed to the family’s Gallic ancestry. He had tanned skin that glistened with perspiration. His hair, even though he had been out of the legions for going on eleven years, was still trimmed neatly, low and tight around the ears and above the nap of his neck. His left eye was partly clouded, which obscured his vision, and while his exterior was rough, no one save for Gaius knew that inside, his body was failing him.

As he sat across from Gaius and shoved a spoonful of stew into his mouth, a number of deep scars that ran along his thick muscular arms shined neatly in the low flickering candlelight, symbols of the many battles he fought and lived through during his youth with the legions.

Julius moaned for a brief moment, a sound that Gaius was familiar with. He was in almost constant pain, with few days free from the torment. While it bothered him a great deal, he was not about to voice his discomfort to anyone beyond a few groans and moans. Gaius did not know what ailed him precisely, only that his continuing problems must have been the reason why he left the legions a decade earlier.

It was not uncommon for Julius to wake in the middle of the night, haunted by dreams of his past deeds and torments suffered.
Two-year’s prior Gaius’ mother would have been there to calm him, but since her passing, things had only gotten worse.

A few nights ago, Gaius caught his father rummaging through the large footlocker that he kept under his bed. Inside
was his gear, the effects and weapons of a Roman soldier. He noticed, as he watched him, hidden in the shadows of the moonless night that he seemed most interested in the crest that was engraved on the chest plate of his armor. Later, when he was certain, his father was gone for the day, tending to the grounds, Gaius snuck a peek inside the footlocker and saw what his father had been staring at so intensely. The plate was engraved with an ivory wolf’s head. The craftsmanship was beautiful, and it must have been worth a small fortune; enough, if sold, to rebuild the house and replant the fields, yet it remained locked away, carefully wrapped in a silk cloth.

Whatever
its meaning to his father, Gaius had yet to ask. Since then, every so often, he would sneak another peek; rub his fingers over the extremely detailed image of the white wolf, and wonder what it must have been like for his father to have worn the armor into battle. He would never dare to ask him about his military past. Some mysterious were best kept under the bed.

Gaius put his spoon down before he took a deep breath, and then spoke.

“Father, I would like to ask you something.”

“What?” Julius asked with a grunt as he chewed
.

“My friend,
Antony, has asked me to accompany him to Rome in two days. There is a festival in the city, and he said that I could come, if you agreed.”

“Antony?”
Julius seemed to ponder the name for a moment before he spoke again. “That is Maximus Titus Varro’ son?” he then asked as pulled out a small bone from between his teeth.

“Yes father. We are friends. We have been for some time now,” Gaius answered, knowing he had mentioned
Antony’s name numerous times – A futile effort. He had better luck speaking to and getting a reaction from a stone wall.

Julius never raised his eyes from his food as he shoved another hefty spoonful into his mouth before he answered, scraping the bowl clean as he spoke.

“No. There is too much work that is needed around here for you to run off and play in the city.”

“But father...I can do all my chores before I leave. And besides, I won’t be gone longer than a day and half,
two days at the maximum. I promise,” Gaius pleaded as he moved his still full bowl aside, and stared at his father, who hardly acknowledged what he was asking.

“Rome is not a place for a boy of your age, Gaius.”

“But father, I will be thirteen in two months – almost a man. And I won’t be alone. Antony’s slaves will be with us the entire time, and his father as well.”

Julius finally looked up and stared long and hard, clearly growing frustrated by his son’s unwillingness to drop the matter, even though he
had already given his answer.

“I said no, and that is final, Gaius. I will hear no more on this subject. Is that understood?” He waited for Gaius to answer, which he did after a long pause. “Yes
father.”2

There was
an awkward break between the father and son as Julius stared at Gaius in silence for a moment longer, watching him swirl his spoon around the edges of the stew, clearly disappointed, but not seemingly expecting otherwise.

“And besides, I need you here.”

“Of course, father,” Gaius added before his father was finished speaking.

“There is someone coming in a few days – someone
whom I want you to meet. It is important that you be here.”

“Who is coming, father?” Gaius asked, just a
bit curious as he kept his head low, still playing with his food as his disappointed thoughts drifted endlessly. He wasn’t looking forward to telling Antony that he couldn’t go with him to Rome.

“He is an old friend of mine. He has come a very long way, just to see you,” Julius finished.

“Me? Why?” Gaius’ interest was finally piqued as he looked up at his father, waiting for him to answer. However, Julius sat still for a long while, seemly contemplating what he was going to say.

“Because...” The two were silent for nearly a full minute as Julius froze before he could complete his sentence. There was much that he seemed to want to say as he gazed
into Gaius’ eyes, but for some reason, he held his tongue and returned to the previous subject.

“A day and half,
you say, maybe two?”

Gaius’ eyes opened wider with the sudden, unexpected words that seemly flew out from his father’s mouth.

“Yes father. I would be back by the week's end, just after midday. I promise!”

“Rome is a dangerous place. I expect you to keep that in mind and return home once this fest
ival has ended. I will hold Varro responsible if you do not. Is that understood, Gaius?”

Gaius did not need to answer as he leaped from his stool and ran over to his father, throwing his arms around him, hugging him with all his might that his small arms could manage.

“Oh thank you, father. I promise that I will do double my normal chores before I leave,” Gaius said enthusiastically while still holding onto his father.

“That you will, boy. You had better finish eating and get yourself to bed, so you may start bright and early.”

“Of course father. I will!” However, sleep would be allusive for Gaius for the next two nights, as his thoughts would be focused on the wonders he was bound to see. Never did forty-eight hours seem so far away.

Gaius looked on in amazement as the vast crowds of people passed, nearly cramming into every square inch of the streets of Rome. Never had he seen so many people in one place before, the very thought that this many souls could exist in the world was a new concept to his young mind. There were people of so many different sizes, colors and races. Men, women and even children walked and ran like chariot racers through the narrow streets and alleyways. Rome truly was a wonder to behold. Clearly, as his young eyes shifted from one sight to the next, his father’s words about this city not being a place for
someone, his age was misleading, as he saw many boys and girls, some younger than he, running through the streets without care.

The many voices rose like a choir of sound, making it impossible to single
one person among so many. The street corners were lined with shops that sold goods from all corners of the Republic: spices and silks from the east, wheat and jewels from the south, and rare stones and crafts from the north, it would take a lifetime to see it all – an entire world, he knew nothing about. He thought for a moment he may never want to go home again.

Gaius and
Antony ran like wild horses through the dense crowds that hardly paid attention to them. They joined other groups of boys from time to time, until their attention was turned to marvelous attractions, from jesters performing feats of magic in the streets, to puppeteers and actors putting on shows on large and elaborately made stages. The volley of cheers and laughter constantly pointed them to new wonders.

Gaius noticed that Julia wasn’t able to take part in the
boy’s games as she was held firmly by her body slave, who had been charged with watching all three children. However, the boys easily distracted the slave as they continued their exploration of the city.

Julia tried many times to break free and join them, but once the four rounded one street corner she managed to chase after Gaius, who attention was turned to a large gathering of people.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, seemingly mesmerized by a spectacle beyond, pushing through the adults, he worked his way to the front of the pack. What he saw both scared and excited him. In the center of a large forum, a small circus of sorts was set up where dozens of street performers leaped into the air, twisting and bending in ways that shocked and amazed the onlookers. However, it was the wild animals that captivated the peoples focus.

A burly man stood before the crowd on a stage. His voice billowed, easily heard over the crowd of hundreds of onlookers. Behind him, Gaius noticed a series of large cages, most of which were covered with thick, red cloaks. The sounds and shifting shadows behind the covered cages sp
arked their imagination as the beast master enticed the crowd, describing creatures from all corners of the known world; that no one would ever forget what they saw this day.

“Beware the Man-Ape!” The
beast master proclaimed as his assists revealed a cage which held a dozen small creatures that looked like hairy children gone mad, screaming and chewing at their iron bars that held them.

“Behold a beast so powerful that he could tear your head clear off of your shoulders!” he bellowed at the top of his lungs as another, even larger cage was uncovered, revealing a bear, which roared loudly,
brandishing its two-inch fangs, which caused more than a few of the onlookers to step back in near panic.

“But none compare to the power of the next
exhibit - A monstrous animal worshiped and hunted by the kings of the heathen savages of the East.”

Julia ran up to Gaius after finding him among the crowd where she wrapped her arms around his, as the new cage was wheeled before the two. He smiled down at her as his attention was turned from the cage for a moment as her soft hands cuddled his. She gleamed up at him, her dark hair reflecting in the high sunlight as her smiled
widened.

Inside the
cage, Gaius could see a shadowy silhouette pacing back and forth. He felt his heart beat faster with anticipation as both, he and Julia stood focused on the attraction. The beast master smiled at the two children, namely Julia as he gripped his chubby fingers over the red cloth.