The Wedding Shroud - A Tale of Ancient Rome (58 page)

Arruns grunted, sweat breaking upon his brow. It was clear there was no time to talk even if he’d wanted to. ‘Please, my lady!’ He extended his arm to her as if he was offering to accompany her, a gentleman with a snake tattooed upon his face.

Once she had been afraid of him, thought him the strangest man in the world, symbol of what she most loathed in Veii, and yet she knew he was faithful to her, that he would never harm her.

‘Why have you come here?’

‘Master sent me. He wishes you to have a chance to choose Rome or him.’

Caecilia sank to the ground, not knowing what to think or feel. Heat coursed through her chest, through to her throat. Mastarna’s persistence was overwhelming. Once again the tight centre of safety Rome offered had been surrounded by him, leaving her suspended between the two. Compelling her to give him an answer after all, to sift through the shallows and depths of what her life had been before and decide whether it could be again. Making her decide if she loved him enough.

Freedom was terrifying. Ahead of her lay Rome, where she would find rectitude and safety. And behind her was his city—danger and love.

Arruns helped her to her feet, anxious to leave. ‘I will make sure you are guided to wherever you choose.’

Fumbling inside his tunic he drew out Mastarna’s golden tesserae box, shaking the dice onto his palm and offering them to her. ‘From the master. He also said to tell you, where you are Gaia, he is Gaius.’

The dice were worn on the corners, so worn that the peculiar writing was hard to decipher on some of the surfaces. Mastarna no longer used them at the tables; his opponents would not allow it. But he never went anywhere without them. They were his luck.

She thought of how many times she’d knelt before Uni’s altar and begged and prayed and cried for Fortuna to listen to her pleas; remembered, too, Artile’s soft hands upon her soul and Mastarna’s tender ones upon her heart. One man urging her to postpone destiny, the other showing her that Fate could not be controlled.

The Phoenician stretched out his palm to her, willing her to take the tesserae.

To go with him meant she would be cut off from her people. And, no matter what Mastarna may promise, most in Veii would not see her as other than the daughter of a foe.

She had no doubt, either, that if the Romans breached the walls of Veii they would kill her—vengeance for humiliation. And she thought briefly of Marcus and Drusus, wondering if they, too, would come to believe she should die in such a way.

Caecilia studied the baubles in the calloused grimy hand. They were hers now to either use or not. Should she keep them as a reminder of what they’d lost? Or perhaps she should let Nortia show her hand? After all, she’d gambled with them before and they had changed her life. Or should she, once again, stand before Mastarna to renew her vows, offering the tesserae as a humble dowry?

Arruns was impatiently scouting the clearing. Caecilia stared at him, afraid to look either ahead or behind her. Her legs unsteady, her pulse too fast.

She smiled, curling her fingers around the dice.

They were smooth to the touch.

Glossary

Cast of Characters

Rome

Caecilia
(Aemilia Caeciliana): A Roman bride

Lucius
Caecilius: Caecilia’s father

Marcus
Aemilius
Mamercus: Caecilia’s uncle and adopted father

Aurelia: Aemilius’ wife

Marcus
Aemilius Mamercus: Aemilius’ son, Caecilia’s cousin

Appius Claudius
Drusus
: Friend of Marcus, Caecilia’s admirer

Aemilia: Caecilia’s mother, Aemilius’ sister

Marcus Furius
Camillus:
Roman Commander and Senator

Veii

Vel
Mastarna:
Etruscan nobleman, Caecilia’s husband

Larthia: Mastarna’s mother

Artile
Mastarna: Soothsayer, Mastarna’s brother

Tarchon: Adopted son of Mastarna

Seianta: Mastarna’s first wife

Cytheris: Caecilia’s maidservant

Arruns: Mastarna’s bodyguard

Arnth
Ulthes
: Zilath of Veii, Mastarna’s friend

Erene: Courtesan, Ulthes’ mistress

Laris
Tulumnes:
Veientane councillor, Ulthes’ opponent

Apercu: Veientane councillor

Vipinas: Veientane councillor

Pesna: Veientane councillor allied to Tulumnes

Aricia: Cytheris’ daughter

Velia: Daughter of Mastarna and Seianta

Aule Porsenna: Zilath of Tarquinia, Mastarna’s father-in-law

Italicised names are used throughout the novel instead of full titles

The Gods

Nortia/Fortuna: Goddess of Fate

Uni/Juno: Goddess of Marriage/Mothers/Children—Queen of the Gods

Tinia/Jupiter: King of the Gods

Turan/Venus/Aphrodite: Goddess of Love

Aita: God of the Afterworld

Fufluns/Dionysus: God of Wine and Regneration

Laran/Mars: God of War

Genius (male) /Juno (female): An individual’s guardian spirit (Roman)

Lasa: A guardian angel (Etruscan)

Tuchulcha: A demon from the Etruscan Afterworld

Vanth: A demoness who stood guard at the Etruscan Afterworld

Charun/Charon: Demon guardian of the Afterworld/Underworld

Alpan: Angel, handmaiden to Turan

There is a hyperlink to the the cast of characters at the end of each chapter.

Acheron:
In Greek mythology, the River of Sorrow in the Underworld; in Etruscan religion, the ‘Afterworld’ or ‘The Beyond’, a place to which the dead journeyed over land and sea.

Alabastron:
A small flask for perfume or fragrant oils originally fashioned from alabaster but later made from pottery, metal or glass.

Acheron:
In Greek mythology, the River of Sorrow in the Underworld; in Etruscan religion, the ‘Afterworld’ or ‘The Beyond’, a place to which the dead journeyed over land and sea.

Alabastron:
A small flask for perfume or fragrant oils originally fashioned from alabaster but later made from pottery, metal or glass.

Arx:
Citadel or fortified high ground within a city.

Auspices:
Before any decision of State was made, omens were observed and interpreted. This involved watching the flight of birds. To do this one needed
patrician
blood. Only certain magistrates such as a
consul
or
censor
could take the public auspices, i.e. as opposed to the head of the household observing omens for private purposes.

Bondsman:
A debtor who forfeited his liberty to his creditor to satisfy his debts. He was enslaved until he paid back what he owed.

Bulla:
A locket of gold or leather worn by a Roman boy to ward of evil spirits. It was removed when a boy reached manhood at fourteen. A girl wore a similar amulet which was removed on the eve of her wedding.

Cantharus/Kantharos:
A two handled drinking cup sacred to the God Dionysus (Greek), Bacchus (Roman) and Fufluns (Etruscan).

Censor:
One of two magistrates who were ex
consuls
. This magistrate, among other duties, supervised public morals and conducted the census. A censor was entitled to take the public
auspices
that preceded every major action taken on the State’s behalf.

Cepen:
Common word for an Etruscan priest.

Cista:
A small casket, usually cylindrical in shape, used for keeping cosmetics, perfumes or jewellery.

Consul:
One of two magistrates with
imperium
who held the highest position in the Roman Republic. Both consuls had the right of veto over each other and were entitled to take the public
auspices
that preceded every major action taken on the State’s behalf.

Consular General:
A military tribune with consular powers. For many years in the early Roman Republic, military tribunes were elected instead of
consuls
because generals were needed on so many war fronts. As
imperium
was not granted,
plebeians
could hold the office.
Censors
took the public
auspices
on behalf of the military tribunes to enable decisions of State to be made.

Cuirass/Corselet:
Body armour consisting of a breastplate and back plate made from metal, leather or stiffened linen.

Curia (Curia Hostilia):
The Senate House in the Roman Forum.

Curule Chair (Sella Curulis):
A backless ivory chair that represented special high office in both Rome and Etruria. Only certain magistrates, such as
consuls
, were entitled to sit upon one in the Roman Republic.

Fascinum:
A phallic-shaped amulet worn around the neck. The regenerative power of the phallus was seen as a powerful force against the ‘evil eye’.

Fibula:
A clasp or brooch used to secure a cloak or worn as an ornament. Simple ones were the shape of a large safety pin.

Flammeum:
The ‘flame’-coloured veil worn by Roman brides. There is dispute as to its actual colour. Some sources refer to it as the yellow of a candle flame, others as orange. Weld (resida lutea) or expensive saffron was used to dye the cloth.

Greaves:
Armour that could protect either the shins only or the entire leg to the thigh depending on the wealth of the soldier. 

Haruspex:
An Etruscan priest skilled in the art of haruspicy, i.e. dissecting a sacrificial animal’s liver for the purpose of divination. A haruspex wore a distinctive conical hat and a sheepskin cloak fastened by a
fibula
, and carried a
lituus
staff.

Hetaera:
Literally meaning a ‘companion’ in ancient Greek, a hetaera was an educated courtesan kept by a patron and who entertained men in symposiums or in their own salons.

Honoured Way (Cursus Honorum):
The method by which a man rose to the supreme office of
consu
l; a political ladder whereby a man was elected to certain magistracies in prescribed order and only after reaching a particular age.

Imperium:
Supreme authority in Rome including command in war, interpretation and execution of the law and the right to inflict punishment. The ability to take the public
auspices
, which preceded every major action taken on the State’s behalf, was granted along with imperium.

Juno:
A divine essence which acted as a protecting spirit or the ‘guardian angel’ of a woman. It could be represented in effigy or by cameo. Men called such a spirit their ‘genius’. Juno was also the Roman Mother Goddess and the wife of Jupiter, King of the Gods.

Kottabos:
Drinking game where wine dregs were thrown at a small disc on a stand with the aim of filling it to the extent that it was knocked onto a larger disc suspended below to make a sound like a bell.

League of the Twelve:
Economic and religious confederation of major Etruscan cities. There is conjecture as to exactly which cities were included in the League.

Lictor:
In Rome, one of twelve civil servants who protected the kings, and later those magistrates holding
imperium.
They carried a bundle of rods called the fasces, the symbol of power and authority.
Consuls
were entitled to twelve lictors. The tradition of the lictor and fasces was believed to derive from the Etruscan kings.