by Assaph Mehr
I glanced at the man next to him and all thought of my business for the day flew out of my head. Marcus Tometius was the captain of the Red faction, a legend amongst fans. Egretian-born, he was one of the best drivers ever to race in the Circus Magnus and the bright beacon of hope for fans of the Reds. When he was critically injured a couple of years back, we had thought all hope for future resumption of glory had gone. But the magistri carneum managed to save his life, if not his legs. He came back, took the reins of the club from the previous disappointment of a captain, and brought us to the present historical win.
Numicius kept talking as these thoughts raced through my mind. He was bragging about the sums he had to pay for the physicians that cured Tometius, how he orchestrated his return as captain, and about the acquisition of Diocles. Tometius was just as animated, each reminiscing and regaling the other with shared memories.
This man, whose downfall I was about to bring, was apparently the greatest benefactor to the sports faction I have cheered for since I was a child on my father’s knees. All of Egretia would be talking of the Reds’ win that day and Numicius’ name would be associated with it. The jury in his trial might find it hard to vote against his popular status and the crowd might react poorly to those who bear witness against him. But even if I assumed the jury would be composed of fans of the Blue faction and that people’s memories are short, even then — I felt a twinge of uncharacteristic guilt in taking down the man who elevated my sports faction to glorious heights.
Eventually I regained both my wits and the control of my mouth. I professed my abject adoration to Tometius — which did not require any acting. When he grasped my forearm like a friend, I held on perhaps a tad too long.
Later, I turned to Numicius and said, “More good news: I finally have the bankers’ letters for the purchase of the insulae. This deal is all but done and sealed! Truly a blessed day.”
“Oh, excellent news! I had my doubts about you, Felix, but I’m glad you managed this transaction. You worked well to a swift conclusion. Now, come! Sail with us on my ship. I’m throwing a party to celebrate the Reds win today, and you deserve to join us for a treat — for arranging the deal and for being a fellow fan.”
***
Sea traffic was busy, with the many private yachts getting in between the regular merchant and supply ships. Sounds of celebrations drifted on the water from the Campus Civicus and around the bay. We boarded Numicius’ bireme, which cast off and sailed leisurely to the middle of the harbour. The deck was laid about with tables holding platters of rare delicacies and fine wines. The outriggers where the galley-slaves were seated with their oars were tastefully hidden behind curtains. Numicius directed his captain towards the entry to the bay, where we cast anchor and milled about on the deck, toasting each other and the games.
Amongst the people were a few faces I’ve seen with Numicius before, but none I recognised by name except Ambustus. His complexion was ruddier than usual, the flush of wine and excitement setting the burn scars on the left side of his face aglow with inner fire.
Amidst talks about the spectacular chariot win for the Red faction and their future rise to the glory they deserved, I recounted the details of the banking arrangements to Numicius. Ambustus was never far away, listening with an insectile expression.
It was hard to catch Numicius alone. His guests kept coming to congratulate and toast him in the jovial atmosphere. If my mind wasn’t on my task, I would have enjoyed being surrounded by fellow Red fans, drinking wins and observing our great city from a pretty vantage point. Sailing on the bay offers one unparalleled views of the great temples, basilicae, porticos, and other important buildings as they rise up the side of the mountain. The Pharos with its eternal light is, for our people, a most comforting sight, signifying homecoming. The solid marble spire with its bas-relief images of our ancient history always takes my breath away.
But my mind was on the case, not the view. It was the perfect opportunity to bring up the ‘little hitch’ I concocted, to push Numicius into rage and get him to utter something damning in front of all the guests. The trick was to hit the right level of inebriation, and to push him hard enough. Numicius kept drinking, displaying the capacity of commercial amphorae.
The sun sunk behind the tip of Vergu and the bay was cast into twilight shadows. The various lights around our city turned it into its own version of a starry night. As Numicius directed the ship towards the shore of the inner bay, I decided the time was right.
“Why all the insulae?” I asked Numicius. “You mentioned a shrine to your mother. The three are not next to each other, and surely one would have provided ample grounds for it.”
“Told you, I’m a businessman. Valerius had three to sell, and I have money to buy them all. And you came to me with them, I’ll remind you. I just took the opportunity to make some profit,” he said, following it with a massive hiccough.
“Well, you would have your choice for the shrine then.” I smiled my best. “One is quite close to the Via Alta, so would be a perfect location for a temple. Oh! That reminds me. At the last-minute, Valerius’ brought up the Lex Papiria de dedicationibus. Because there have been recent deaths on the premises, he wanted the buyer — id est your esteemed self — to know that the properties could not be legally consecrated as altars or temples for a few years.”
“What?” Numicius exclaimed loudly, and I knew I had him.
“Oh, I’m sure it will be nothing,” I said. “All you need is for one of the consuls or praetors to pass an exemption through the popular assembly and you should be able to circumvent it.”
“Must we listen to this drivel?” Ambustus said behind me, nearly making me jump out of my skin.
“No… no, we don’t,” said Numicius, his smile never wavering but eyes suddenly hard and cold like steel. He gazed at me in a calculating way that sent shivers down my spine. “You’re right. This has gone far enough. Restrain him, and we’ll deal with him after the party.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but Ambustus lifted his hand and blew some powder from his palm onto my face with a muttered incantation and the world went black.
Chapter XXIV
I woke up in the hold of the galley to someone nudging my leg. I opened my eyes to the gloom and Borax muttering “Domine! Domine!” while kicking me awake. Wood creaked, and in the dim light I saw we were in the ship’s cargo hold. My hands were tied behind my back and when I tugged I could feel the ropes anchored to a ring in the wall. Borax was trussed next to me. From above came the sounds of people alighting from the ship, still merry and congratulating each other on the day’s win.
Numicius boomed out, “Go on! More wine and refreshments at my domus! We shall celebrate this night like it deserves. I shall join you all momentarily.”
Heavy steps crossed the deck, and then a narrow hatch opened and Numicius clambered down into the hold, followed by Ambustus and an extremely large gladiator.
“Ah, you’re awake,” he said when he saw me. “I was hoping to have this little chat more leisurely — actually, I had hoped you would see sense and we wouldn’t need to have it at all.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking abou —” I started to say.
“Please, don’t insult me,” Numicius cut me off. “I know who you are and what you do. Did you think we wouldn’t find out when you tampered with our little… set-up?”
In between frantic thoughts of how to save my skin, it crossed my mind that this was as close as I had ever gotten to hear Numicius admit his involvement in the curses. Pity there were no witnesses.
“The companies? Bankers? I was just ensuring the money was in the right hands, I never gave any instructions to change or divert anything —”
“You’re an arrogant fool, Felix,” Ambustus spoke. “We know who you work for and what you aim to do. We knew since the moment you approached Gaius Numicius. Did you think your little powder an
d charm would affect me? You really thought you could catch me with mere wine and garden-variety incantations? Never try to poison a veneficitor, Felix. Your mind cannot conceive of the venoms and toxins to which I have built immunity while you were wasting your time getting drunk in whorehouses! My constitution rivals that of Vulcanus.”
Numicius raised his hand to calm Ambustus and squatted down so his eyes were level with mine. “Still, I hoped we might salvage the situation and use you. My interest in buying those insulae is genuine. I was willing to play your game if it led to acquiring the properties. Still am, in fact. I will give you one last chance to complete the deal as we discussed. You will not be cheating Valerius — he will receive his money. Your conscience and dignitas will remain clean.”
It was hard not to jump on the opportunity and promise him anything that would keep me alive. But I suspected he would have ways to enforce it, to bind me in some unbreakable, unspeakable way. “Just broker the deal?” I asked. “Just let it go through and you will let me walk free?”
“In essence. My good man Ambustus has ways of ensuring your cooperation and compliance. He can be somewhat creative and overzealous, but as long as you stick to our agreement, no harm shall come your way.”
“But why?” I blurted out, my last-ditch effort to get an admission from Numicius. “Surely you had a plan to get the buildings without my involvement? And why curse three insulae?”
“Three insulae with three variations,” said Ambustus. “I like to experiment, you see. There were more I wanted to try, but Gaius Numicius said it was enough to put the pressure on Valerius to sell.”
Numicius caught Ambustus’ eye, who then resumed his passive expression. He fixed his gaze back at me. “Overly creative, as I said. Regardless, you were just a bonus. Didn’t you wonder how we set up those straw companies so quickly and had sizable sums of money at the ready? I was going to buy that property anyway. When you first came to me, I suspected you might be trying to play us, but I was willing to go along for the sake of the deal. So far, I have been honest with you while you came to me under false pretences. So, make your choice now — will you still broker this to completion and walk away, or will you persist in interfering with the affairs of your betters?”
My mind was racing. Not to accept his offer surely meant death. Yet I did not like his inference about Ambustus ensuring my compliance. I did not want to end in his thrall under some incantation.
I didn’t have time to vacillate, so I went with my gut feeling. “I will carry your message to Valerius, but I will not consent to any enchantment — either on myself or on Valerius. I will not be your agent in illegal incantation.”
“You are not in a position to negotiate, Felix. I could just proceed in a month or two. I could keep any other buyers at bay until Valerius will be glad to sell to me. Or, I could have you killed now and let Ambustus do that final experiment he wanted, directly on Valerius. Dealing with heirs is often easier. I always get my way, in the end.”
In hindsight, my gut feelings and cocksure attitude had led me to this mess.
Numicius raised his hand to silence me. “Twice I have offered you to come to my side. Once, when you became my agent I offered you to become my client, and again just now. And twice you have refused my genuine offers. I am disappointed, but that is your choice in the matter. Life, as the philosophers say, is a series of choices and their echoing ramifications. So now for the consequences.” He stood up from his crouch next to me and stepped back. “Milo, break his legs, please.”
The silent brute Numicius brought with him made a pass at grabbing my right ankle. I tried to kick him, but he simply caught it in his ham-like hands and hoisted me upside-down till all but my shoulders were off the ground. In the swift and practised motion of a wrestler, he stepped over me so my right leg was between his two and sat down with all his weight, holding my ankle and twisting my leg on the way.
My scream was not enough to drown the squelching sound my ankle made as bones and ligaments tore out of their natural set. Milo stood up, still holding my ankle, then let it drop to the floor. I screamed again when it hit, as waves of pain and nausea travelled from my mangled foot through my body.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to take my leave now,” Numicius continued in pleasant tones. “My guests are no doubt getting anxious to continue our victory celebrations, and there is only so much time a gracious host can steal away to deal with business during his own party. Gaius Hirtuleius,” he addressed Ambustus, “would you kindly stay here and finish the job? I know you’ll prefer your little ‘experiments’ to social hobnobbing, and for once I have no reservations. I’ll make sure the cook won’t serve the sea-urchin before you come back.”
Ambustus grunted and turned his beady eyes and evil smile on me. “I’ll just get Milo here to help me set up before he accompanies you. What I’m about to do will probably make even gladiators squeamish.”
While Numicius was making his way up the ladder to the fresh air, Ambustus and Milo approached Borax and hoisted him by his elbows. With his hands tied behind his back, Borax tried to resist by shaking free and slamming his shoulder into Ambustus. He knocked him back, but Milo elbowed Borax in the jaw before he could turn against him and I heard teeth crack. Milo shoved Borax against the wall, then grasped his shoulders and sent a knee into Borax’s groin. The force of the blow made the ship rock. Borax doubled up and Milo grabbed him by the hair, dragging him forward. I could do naught but wriggle gently to sit upright as each movement of my leg sent fresh waves of burning pain through my body.
“Truss him,” Ambustus said. Iron rings were set in the walls of the under-deck hold to secure cargo. Borax was still winded, but Ambustus and Milo were taking no chances. They slapped him around as they unfastened his ropes, splayed him against the wall, and fastened each of his hands and feet to a ring. They further secured his waist, elbows, and knees, to fully immobilise him. Borax’s head was lolling and bobbing. He was dazed from the beating, and I could see a trickle of blood from his mouth where Milo had elbowed him.
“Right,” said Ambustus, “I think we’re set here. You better go and catch up with Gaius Numicius. Even today, he can never have enough guards about him. We,” he turned to me, “can now proceed to further advance the scientific research into the lore of veneficium. Two live subjects will make a great contribution.”
***
Above us, the gangplank scraped against the wooden deck and the noises changed tone. A rhythmic drumming began, and we could feel the reverberations as the galley slaves pulled on their oars and the ship lurched and launched back into the bay.
Ambustus busied himself in the corner of the hold, fussing with jars, pouches, and metal implements, and muttering under his breath. The burning in my ankle was replaced by a throb. Each movement of my leg, whether voluntary or not, was like coals coursing through my bones. Fastened to the wall, Borax was coming out of his daze. He caught my eyes, then silently strained against his bonds. His huge muscles bulged, but the ropes held.
“Right,” Ambustus said as he turned towards us. “We will shortly be making our way out of the Bay of Egretia, where you will be assisting me in the advancement of the frontiers of learning and knowledge. You were right to call me the greatest veneficitor of our time, even though you were merely pandering. Working with me on this little project is an honour which you should be proud of, even though — for practical reasons — you will never be credited,” he said without a hint of sarcasm. He was like a metaphysics lecturer, excited to conduct some new experiment with his students. The garish red scars on the left side of his melted face marred this image, a constant reminder that his interest was not purely a mental exercise.
“I thought you cared not for the restrictions on the practice of magia within the city limits,” I said. “You seem to have gotten away with the tabulae defixiones and the hauntings of the insulae.”
“Ha! Though I guess you’re
right. This is the second time you’ve seen me advance past the frontiers of knowledge. What I did at the insulae demonstrated a delayed application of focusing magia, of controlling when the numina will respond, as well as how. I have actually advanced in my research. I prepared another tabula, but had not the opportunity to try it… A pity. You would have appreciated my new developments.” He strode back and forth before me, his hands clenching and unclenching with unbridled energy.
“Back to the business at hand. We’re lucky — we have all my ingredients on board. I was going to sail away to experiment tomorrow. What we are about to do here goes well beyond even Numicius’ ability to bribe the rhones and thus will be carried out on the open waters. And since we’re already underway and you’re so keen to find out, why don’t we start? It will give you a sample of what to expect. It’s a little thing I’ve been working on that will come across as magia vita to any stray eyes that might be attuned in our direction. Pay attention, I will be curious to hear your thoughts when you have the chance to experience it for yourself. For now, just watch. You’ll enjoy it.”
He ambled to the table at the back and began mixing ingredients in a mortar, gently mashing and chanting over them. There were jars, pouches, pyxis boxes of unguents, strange tools of metal and wood, and a lit brazier on the table. My dagger was lying on a table-corner too far to reach with my broken ankle, even if I could free myself from my bonds. As he worked, I could feel the drafts of magia on my skin and smell the crushed ingredients at a higher register as they were used to channel and shape the forces of nature. With each ingredient added, the scents alternated between spring flowers and honey to a rotting, swampy smell. Back and forth, back and forth, life and death.
“Now observe,” Ambustus said as he turned to me. “Form your thoughts so that you could describe them later to me when it will be your turn. I so rarely get to work with someone familiar and attuned to the magia, so your contributions will no doubt help me reach a breakthrough in our understanding of science.”