by Ben Pastor
Do not trust Sido. Do not trust Helena. Above all, do not trust Constantine.
It is my desire that, in lieu of my son, you pour libations and make all appropriate remembrances of me on the days of my birth and of my death, whenever that will be, on Parentalia's two-week celebration of the dead in February, and on 21 April, the foundation day of Eternal Rome. Salve atque vale.
Manias Curius Decimus, son of Publius Curius Calvinius, vir claris-simus of the senatorial class.
Aelius realized he'd sat at the table a long while, because other officers had filled the mess hall when he looked around. One of them leaned over to say, "Do you mind if I sit here?" Another had not even bothered to ask and was already eating noisily at the other end of the table.
Finding Sido just outside the door did not surprise him. He might have spied him from the window for all he knew. First the head of the speculatores spoke some nonsense about going to an appointment with someone, then stayed there with his arms folded, motionless under the eave that protected him from the rain. Aelius decided it was better to give him a chance to speak now and get it over with. So he remained under the same eave, with his saddlebag on the hale shoulder, looking at the drops from the gutter falling to dig a trench in the diluted snow.
"It seems we end this match in a draw, Aelius Spartianus."
"Does it? I didn't know we were in a match."
Sido turned to him. Calmly Aelius did the same, so that they faced each other, careless that rain wetted the side of their bodies under the dripping eave.
"But I'm keeping my eye on you, inside the border and out. Don't you ever think yourself out of my reach. Remember that Decimus left some of his smell on you." Sido touched Aelius's chest, bringing his fingertips near his nose afterward. "I can smell it. And the fly of treason can bite at any time "
"I think I gave proof in Egypt that I am immune to the insect."
"Then let's say that the fire of ambition can be fanned at any time, and the army is a pile of dry wood. You are army, aren't you?"
An unintelligent provocation, at a time not made for lashing out. Aelius held his breath, let it go. In May the old emperors would abdicate. Within a year Constantius would be dead, and in the following months Maxentius and Constantine would emerge from the power struggle holding sway over entire armies, drawing barbarian tribes to their side, murdering season after season. The face of Rome itself would be obscured in blood.
This morning, on the marching grounds of the military camp at Savaria, in the province of Pannonia Prima Savia, Aelius could look at the man in front of him and foretell his end, as stupidity always will be crushed in great battles. It was vengeance enough. "I am definitely army," he only said.
Rain melted snow, and a sickly sun wanted to thin out the rain; clouds shredded like veils pulled without mercy. Aelius watched Sido turn on his heel and walk away, squirting mud. He blessed the cleanliness of the coming war. There would be a right moment to take back in hand Decimus's letter and decide what to do about it. For now, it sat in his saddlebag with its flattery and promise of wealth, its warnings, its weight as the testament of a man's soul. Annia Cincias—Castas— exquisite little alabaster bust sat alongside it, and both were like tinder waiting for a spark.
GLOSSARY
THE PLACES
Italia Annonaria (Northern Italy) Aquileia—city in northeastern Italy, important religious seat in early
Christianity Balnea Vetra—the Old Baths in Mediolanum Brixia—Brescia, city then and now known for its weapons factories
(Beretta) Mediolanum—Milan
Modicia—Monza, city near Milan where Charlemagne's crown is kept Mutina—Modena Porta Argentea, Aurea (Nova), Romana, Ticinensis, Vercellina—
Mediolanum city gates porticus maximiana —famous porticoed street built by Maximian in
Mediolanum Tergeste—Trieste Ticinum—Pavia Vicentia—Vicenza, still a military town (U.S. Army)
Belgica Prima and Germania Inferior and Superior (France, and Northern and Southern Germany) Arae Flaviae—Rottweil, in the Black Forest Argentorate—Strasbourg Augusta Treverorum—Trier Bingum—Bingen
Brigantium—Bregenz
Confluentes—Koblenz
Noviomagus—Lisieux
Teutoburg—forest near Detmold, where in 9 c.e. an entire Roman army was ambushed and destroyed by Arminius's Germanic tribesmen
Vindonissa—Windisch
Noricum and Raetia (Austria), Moesia and Pannonia (region including parts of Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia)
Aquincum—Budapest
Arrabona—Gyoer
Aspalatum—Split
Carnuntum—location near Petronell, southeast of Bratislava
Castra Regina—Regensburg
Celeia—Celje
Emona—Lj ublj ana
Intercisa—location on the Danube, about forty miles south of Budapest
Poetovio—Ptuj
Sala—Zalaloevo
Savaria—Szombathely
Scarbantia—Sopron, near Lake Balaton
Sirmium—Sremska Mitrovica, northeast of Belgrade; the martyr Ire-naeus was its bishop
Siscia—Sisak
Vindobona—Vienna
Other Geographical Names Antinoopolis—city, today vanished, along middle course of the Nile Barbaricum—generic name for the barbarian-inhabited areas outside the Roman Empire Byzantium—later Constantinople, today's Istanbul Dacia—Romania
Dalmatia—Adriatic region of Croatia
Dravus, Marus, Savus, Tibiscus—the central European rivers Drava, Morava, Sava, and Tisza Golden
Spike/Cuneus Aureus—the Spluegen Pass between Austria and Italy
Insubria, Insubrians—today's northern Italian region of Lombardy, and its inhabitants
Nicomedia—Izmir, in Turkey
Tibur—city near Rome, known for its building stone and Hadrian's< great villa
THE NAMES
Historical and Mythical Names
Achilleus; Domitius Domitianus—Roman usurpers, defeated in Egypt, circa 296 CE
Aeschylus (f456 b.c.e.) —Greek playwright, authored among others the tragedy Agamemnon
Agamemnon, Cassandra—mythical king slain by his wife, and slave who foretold his death
Admetus, Alcestis—mythical husband and wife; she offered her life for his
Brutus (f42 b.c.e.) —one of the murderers of Julius Caesar
Cato the Censor, or the Elder (1"149 b.c.e.) —conservative Roman statesman and orator
Diocletian (t316 c.e.) —Roman emperor, great soldier and administrator
Constantine (f 337 c.e.) —known as "the Great," first Christian emperor
Constantius (t306 c.e.) —Diocletian's co-emperor and Constantine's father
Galerius (f311)—Diocletian's co-emperor, persecutor of Christians
Hades—god of the underworld, also the underworld itself
Helena—Constantine's mother, later a Christian saint
Maxentius (1312 c.e.) —Maximian's son, usurper and Constantine's rival
Maximian (t311 c.e.) —Diocletian's co-emperor and Maxentius's father
Orpheus, Eurydice—mythical couple: glancing at her, Orpheus failed to save his bride from death
Pentheus—mythical king slain by drunken and possessed women
Seneca (165 c.e.) —Roman thinker and Nero's teacher (who forced him to commit suicide)
Severus, Septimius (1*211 c.e.) —Roman general and emperor, native of North Africa
Thanathos—Greek personification of death
Varus (Quintilius) (19 c.e.) —Roman general, lost three legions and his life in Teutoburg Forest
Virgil (119 b.c.e.) —greatest Roman poet, wrote among others the Aeneid
Everything Else
Ala Antoniniana Sagittariorum Surorum; Ala Ursiciana; Ioviani Palatini; Maximiani Juniores; Seniores Gentiliorum—Roman cavalry units, approximately of regimental strength
Alamanni, Alani, Boii, Gepids, Goths, Quadi, Marcomanni, Roxolani, Sarmatae, Scord
isci, Suebi, Vandals—barbarians of northern and eastern European origin who periodically attacked the Roman Empire between 400 b.c.e. and 500 c.e.
Bibe vivas multis annis, vivas feliciter —well-wishing sentences on Roman goblets: "drink and live many years"; "may you live happily"
burgus —a defensive fortified tower along the Roman frontier
clarissimusy perfectissimus —lit. "most noble" and "most perfect," titles given to the Roman social classes of senators and knights
cuiprodest —Latin: "Who gains from it?"
denarius —a basic Roman monetary unit; depreciated through the years from circa 30 U.S. cents to circa 8 U.S. cents
Figlinae Marci Lupi—"the brickworks of Marcus Lupus"
foederati —"military confederates," barbarian tribes allied to Roman army
fullones —"cloth dyers"
Germanicus, Britannicus, Sarmaticus, Persicus Maximus—imperial titles, indicating the victories gained over Germany, Britain, Sarma-tia, and Persia
Ides, Kalends—ancient (lunar) Roman calendar subdivisions, indicating midmonth and the last days before the following month
Kislev—Hebrew month, corresponding to November-December
lapsi —"fallen back, backsliding," name given to Christians who recanted during persecutions
legatos, strategos —Greek for "commander," "general"
Manes —spirits of the family dead
mutatio —"horse-changing station"
nefasti (dies) —in the Roman calendar, "negative" days during which official acts were forbidden
praefectus —Roman military title, corresponding more or less to the rank of colonel
praeses —late Roman term for "provincial governor"
sagum —the cloth used for the cloak worn by Roman soldiers, often bright red, hence also the cloak itself
Salve atque vale —"Hail, and be well"
Samnites—ancient Latin tribe, fought Rome at the beginnings of the city
sestertium (sesterce)—Roman monetary unit, l A of a denarius (see above)
speculator, speculatores —member(s) of the Roman criminal investigation police
terefah —Hebrew for "impure"
ustrinum —a fenced area where the funeral pyre of a family or clan was erected
vexillationes —lit. "flag-bearing," highly mobile mounted units of the Roman army
Table of Contents
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