Insurgent of Rome

by Ken Farmer

  Now with a broad smile, the boy nodded and said, "Aye, Kurios. What is it you wish to have done?"

  With a motion for the Greek and the youngster to follow, Julius set off down the main road then along it to the wharf where the Petrel was tied up. Waving to the tall black, Ngozi, sitting on the afterdeck in his anchor watch, he said, "As you already know, this is our ship and where you will report each evening with your results and of a morning for orders. And your wage of the day." The boy nodded, then again the group set off along the road.

  At a distance, Julius stopped and pointed to the office of their missing agent. "You see yon building? There... With the scribe leaving with his scrolls." A nod from each boy, then, "I have no interest in the man now using it for his business, but before that was another, by the name of Phineus and he was my agent. Also, there were several scribes and servants in residence, and all of whom have vanished."

  "And the Kurios wants to know where they have gone," said Pontiki.

  Julius nodded with a satisfied feeling, that the boy was not a dullard, beaten down by his life at the bottom of the city. "Begin your search in the merchantry of Dionysophanes. Know you of him?"

  With widened eyes, the boy nodded and replied, "Aye, Kurios. A man of much riches. He has many evil men for his use." Of course, all in the city, and any that paid call to it, knew of the leading merchant of Antioch. His reach throughout the city was great, owning most of the yards that serviced the ships, along with having an almost total monopoly on the grain and foodstuff warehouses. His was the office - one of many belonging to the merchant - that the Conciliator, Eukles, had made with haste on the yesterday.

  He reached into a pocket of his tunic and pulled out a handful of coins, selecting one, to put one into the palm of the youngster. This was an obol - small coins of Greek denomination, but to a young urchin of the street they were almost as a shower of gold from on high. "This is your wage for the day, and I have no need to tell you not to give bluster before your friends of your newfound wealth, else you will not wake on the morrow to spend it." Julius knew that the boy would have a hiding place, somewhere, that would hold the small and trivial treasures that might infrequently come their way during the days of survival.

  He held out another handful of coins - sentes, tiny coppers of a value to purchase a slice of bread or an onion. "This is for use in payment to... any that might assist you in your search." Finally, a warning. "Do not let grownsters of value hear of your queries, and do not approach any of importance within the domain of Dionysophanes. Keep your questions to slaves or bound servants or other urchins of the streets. I suggest that you give watch for the guards and such to leave, and find the tavernas and brothels that they favor. The servants and slaves in such will hear more gab than the wife-mates of the men."

  As the urchin disappeared into the crowds, Julius turned to the Greek and said, "Come. We will wait for any to return, in the taburna across from the ship." There, they settled into a table under the awning facing the street. The day was pleasant and there was no need to escape either chill wind or hot sun by taking their drink inside.

  As they watched the port workers move here and yon in their duties of the day, Melglos eventually asked, "If I may make inquiry, Capitaneus, what is the use of the orphanós?"

  Julius took his leisure in reply, taking a sip and storing the line of his thoughts for later. "An old stratagem, used by my family many times." A pause to take an olive for the tartness in drink, then, "My family is of the high nobility of the Roman domain, as I am sure you have been told by now. But, our strength does not come from such nomenclature, but because of our rejection of... how shall I say... the prejudices of our kind. Naturally, in the city of Capua, all who are in our home, or when we are in community at the functions of the city, are of like to our status. Even our strength of place would not protect us from censure should we be seen mixing with the Plebeians of the city, in other than a business setting. But, we gather our associates without regard for their past."

  There was a pause as he examined his memories for examples of his meaning. "The Steward of our house, now, is a copy of that urchin just gathered from the rubbish of the street. Virnius is his name and he appeared one day at our door, looking much like Pontiki - dirty, almost naked of garb, and in some danger of being whipped away by the magistrates, just for appearing in the streets of the noble quarter. He had come to report that my brother was in some distress, having rolled to the bottom of the Arenium hill in his play - and in the cart of a vendor that he and his friends had no proper claim to be using. His noble playmates had fled, in fear of magistrates and misappropriated wagons, leaving only the young urchin to bring news that Aulius was even now laying in the foreyard of a fruit vendor and with a leg in unnatural position."

  "And I assume that this... Arenium place is one that he should have not been using for his amusement for the day."

  Julius nodded at Melglos with a smile. "Aye. It is an attractor for all boys in the city. The western slope is of soft dirt, unsuitable for housing, unlike the stone on the other faces of the hill. Many exciting play-wars and battles are fought there by youngsters, each thinking himself in the form of such as Cincinnatus or Brutus, and in their merriment, none giving any proper regard for the social rank of their playmates. Below the hill is a cove of the river, allowing all to gain the coolness of the waters on a hot day." He paused with another wry smile, remembering his own use of the slope, and long ago. The water was of fortunate presence, to allow of wash before returning home, leaving behind a considerable amount of the dirt from the hill and thus avoiding the horrified exclamations of both maids and mothers.

  He continued, "The young urchin, known only as Virnius by name and of no family or house, was the only one of the many friends of my brother to take it upon himself to give notice to the family of his hurts. The boy, after Aulius was brought home by litter and placed in the care of a Medicus, was sent to the bath, then the kitchen to fill his empty belly, and finally pointed to a storeroom of rags for the night. Shortly, he was given the position of attendant of Aulius and the two grew up together as brothers, given the same education by the Pedagogus of the house and the same cane of instruction by our Father, the Dominus. He became a trusted and loyal friend of my brother - and our family."

  He waved for the wife of the Caupo to fill their cups again, then continued. "Thus it is with our household. A man is valued for what he is, not by the number of carven busts of ancestors in his atrium. And... Such would not have belief in our city of Capua, but my Grandmother, for all of her majesty as Grand Domina of the house, was once a mere scullery maid in a kitchen. So... even myself, for all my impressive nobility..." He grinned at the self-jape. "...am partly descended from the same low-quality cloth as any urchin in the streets."

  Melglos waited a moment before replying, obviously in some thought, then asked, "And this strag... stratium you spoke of? I do not know the word, but it obviously gives some meaning to your newly hired orphanós."

  Julius nodded, then repeated the word. "Stratagem. The word in your tongue has likeness to ours - 'Stratígíma.' There is a tale, in the time of my Grandfather, of some difficulty arising that was in need of repair, and quickly, and to do so, some truths of happenings had to be discovered. A companion was wise in the ways of the lower city, probably having been a street rat himself in his younger years. He recruited an... army, shall we say, of the loose youngsters of the street, who, with a copper in hand, spread out across the city in search of any fragment of the knowledge that was needed." He pointed to two such urchins walking carefully along the road and watchfully, in the knowledge that such as they would be given the back of a hand or worse if they hindered the progress of a grown man in his hurry of labor. "Such as those are as the wind - reaching into every nook and cranny of the city, but unseen and unseeable. Were you to crouch against yon wall in attempt to listen to those two merchants..." He pointed to the two men sitting across the room, taking a morning break from labor in the
ir merchantries, or mayhap engrossed in some vending of importance. "...you would soon be given hostile words and demands to the Caupo for your removal." Now he pointed to the pair of urchins disappearing into the crowds of the street. "But such as they are invisible, unseen and unheard unless underfoot. Such may come and go and their presence not even remembered by any who saw without seeing."

  "You do not expect a dirty agóri to give question to a Conciliator of his actions?"

  "Nay! Of course not. Such as he will approach a slave, glad to receive a copper for any tales. Or a lowly pisspot boy, kitchen maid or such." He spread his hands in recognition of the doubt. "But, every shaft does not hit the mark, and under assault, many must be flown. The men of the Petrel are engaged in their own search for the truth."

  Evening came and the men straggled back to the ship, somewhat less than steady from an entire day of taverna visits. "Very little, Sos," said Kaeso, with a shake of the head. "We gave casual query of this Caupo and that, making the tale that one of our shipmates had been in labor in the merchantry of the missing agent, and we were wishing to find him for joyful reminiscence, but that the office had closed and left no destination." He shrugged, then said, "None had any knowledge of the reason." Now he pointed. "Patroclus did gain one small nugget from a patron."

  Now the Sage nodded, saying, "A man in a taverna on the street of the Ánemos gave me that he had seen one of the servants of Phineus in a leather workery by the river, but had no name to give and I do not know any by sight, thus it would be little use for my searching the merchantries. Mayhap you could do so, Capitaneus."

  Julius shook his head. "Nay, I have little remembrance of his workers, even were they to come on deck this evening. The head scribe, Cteatus... or Cleatus, whatever his nomen is, I can remember but the others..." He paused, then continued, "Go and take your evening meal. On the morrow we will begin again." To Ngozi he said, "Melglos and I will take the watch." As the men turned and walked across the boarding plank with some unsteadiness, he said to the first mate, "I suggest that you confine your evening to food and a brothel, if wanted, and avoid the tavernas. Yon crew is already sailing with a full load of wine."

  Chapter 6

  Julius was below deck in his tiny cabin, writing in a scroll that contained a chronicle of the happenings in and of the ship since the last missive had been sent. It would be given to the first ship of the family that was returning to Capua. There was little to be said of their stay in Antioch. For three days, the men had moved across the city, seeking the putative shipmate that had taken labor in the agency of Phineus. Thus far, except for the one elusive speaking of a servant being seen in some workery, nothing else was discovered.

  The urchin reported at daybreak and before dark, each day, but as yet had found as little as the men.

  And, his requirement of another office, to hold some future agent, had not gained any success from the three leasing Conciliators that he had commissioned. That in itself was strange, as he had seen several empty buildings of the type needed. And neither had any prospective agents come forward, despite the posting of need on the hiring boards along the port road. It appeared to Julius that something was improper in the city. On the last hiring request, months ago, men had swarmed to the Petrel to assure the Capitaneus of their superiority for the position.

  Patroclus gave his thoughts. "The absence of any who know of the disappearance of the men in the agency, or even acknowledge their existence, is..."

  He paused, then Julius filled in his words. "...too unlikely to have actual being."

  "Aye. It is as if all have been told to forget the past existence of any such merchantry."

  "I will give the men and the urchin another day to find some trail of our loss, then we will assume a more direct approach to the problem."

  The harbor was quiet in the night, as usual, and with only a single man on watch...

  "Capitaneus." Julius opened his eyes to total darkness, but at the sound of Densus giving call. Torches were not allowed on shipboard, as any wooden vessel, caulked with pitch and with most planks sun-dried and baked to desiccation, would ignite as a funeral pyre if touched with flame. "A street rat is above. And with some urgency."

  The Captain quickly rose to his feet, at a crouch that he not give bash of his head in the low overhead. Not bothering to change from his ragged sleeping tunic, he felt his way through the well-known path to the deck. There, in the guttering of the single torch on the wharf, he saw a shape even smaller than the young Pontiki... "Who are you, boy?"

  "I am called Lígo."

  He looked up at the night sky, but saw nothing. The moon was waxing, he knew, but apparently, the clouds had moved in since darkfall. Julius walked around the boy, that the youngster might turn and face the torch on the wharf. To Densus, he asked, "What is the lateness?"

  "The gong has sounded the fifth hour. And a half, about." It was not long before the mid of night, then. Across the harbor, the tower of the port magistrate had a large iron ring that was sounded at the marking of a water clock. During the nights, the distant chime of metal on metal could be heard in the silence of the sleeping harbor, giving mark for change of watch if desired on each ship at wharf.

  Now, to the urchin, only a shadow in the darkness, he asked, "What is your purpose... Lígo?"

  "There is a man, wishing to make offer for tidings that you seek. He has sent me to ask your coming."

  "Where away?"

  The boy pointed uselessly in the dark, saying, "Along the water, past the round stone merchant." A pause, then, "The man will be gone before the daylight, he gives."

  Julius turned to Densus. "Roust Ngozi and the Thracian. And with their iron." To the boy, he said, "Wait for the moment." He hurried below to regarb in his normal tunic and weapons belt, arriving on deck with his two men, and the others awaking to the commotion and in wonder at the reason.

  To all, he said, "The boy brings news of some bird, come to chirp his knowledge. Ngozi and Melglos will be in company with me." Traveling the dark of a port alone - in any city - was not a wise action by any man. "All others need to return to their rest - the morrow may be full." Now to the youngster, he said, "Lead on, boy. We follow."

  The night was cool and empty of even taverna patrons, those now either at their abodes or senseless in the gutters and alleys along the way. Julius had kindled a torch, more for giving identity to themselves than any need for light. Three men walking the port road in darkness would likely be accosted by the frequent units of guards, giving examine on suspicion of malfeasance. With the carried flame, they were merely nodded at in passing, the Captain of the watchmen giving assume that skulkers would not so give easy notice of presence.

  Past the round stone maker they walked. Actually, it was the producer and vendor of anchor stones - flat and rounded as a bun from the oven of a baker, that they have no sharp points to bash the hull if raised in heavy seas - and with a hole chiseled in the center for the hoisting rope. Then the wharves began to decrease in both number and goodness, with many crumbling and rotten, used only by the many fishermen of the port.

  Finally, the boy said, "This is the place." His pointing hand in the light of the flickering torch indicated a shed, as decrepit as the wharf it used to serve, obviously many years ago. As they approached, their pace slowed and all pulled their blades in anticipation of possible treachery. It was not without thought that such a summons might be a scheme by some local gang, to richen themselves in the night on the purses of the unwary.

  Now Julius called. "Inside! Show yourself."

  From the open doorway of the crumbling hutment came a grown man - not young although well on the green side of his middle years. Instantly, Julius knew that he was a slave. The tattered loincloth would have given such suggestion, but the iron ring hammered around the neck made the identification absolute. This was a man who had taken extreme risk. A slave found on the street at night would have been instantly accosted by the watch, even if holding tablet or scroll of permission by
his owner. And as this man obviously had neither, his punishment upon return to his owner would be severe.

  Stepping up to allow the torch to illuminate the inside, he saw that no band was waiting in ambuscade. Now he asked, "What have you to give?"

  Before the man could answer, the boy said, "Kurios. The man gave that you would give me a copper for my missive."

  Aye. A slave would likely not have coin for use. He pulled his purse from the inside of his tunic, extracting several coins of goodly value. Placing two in the grubby hand, he said, "This is for your good work, Lígo." The utter surprise by the youngster at seeing, not a low value copper round, but two Greek obols of silver, was not lessened by two more that were handed to him. "These are for payment in forgetting anything that has happened this night. Speak of this not even to your friends. I would dislike seeing you whipped from the city for assisting a slave." He put a hand on the small shoulder, giving a gentle push toward the door. "Now go, and quickly."