The Song of the Gladiator

by Paul Doherty

  Occasionally Claudia paused as if to adjust the strap on her sandal or take her hat off so the breeze might cool the sweat on her brow. As she did so, she glanced around, looking for anyone who might be following her. On one occasion she retraced her footsteps, and when she reached a line of tombs and graves which spread out on both sides of the road, she wandered into them as if to inspect some monument or read an inscription. She was satisfied no one was following her. She passed the third mile station and found the trackway leading into what Sylvester now called the Cemetery of St Sebastian. Claudia knew nothing of Christian saints except that here, during the great persecution, the Christians had dug and developed underground passageways and tunnels, hacking out the porous rock which stretched beneath the outskirts of Rome. She found the usual tomb chest and entered, fumbling in the agreed place for the oil lamp and packet of sulphur matches. After a great deal of scraping, the lamp was lit. She put it in the lantern horn, took off her hat, placed this at the top of the steps and carefully climbed down into the silent musty darkness.

  Every time she visited the catacombs, she thought how much she hated the place. She wasn’t afraid of demons or ghosts; it was just the oppressive silence, the walls closing in. She reached the bottom; the tunnel here was about two yards wide, the ceiling well above her head, the floor of beaten earth sure under her feet. She walked carefully, holding the lantern out, her walking cane tapping the ground, echoing like a drum-beat. She turned a corner and entered the Christian burial place. Here, on ledges in the wall, protected by a thin coating of makeshift plaster, lay the Christian dead. Most had died naturally; others were the victims of persecution: strangled, decapitated, or in some cases just the pathetic remains of what had been left after they had been thrown to the wild beasts in the amphitheatre. Roughly carved inscriptions as well as Christian graffiti covered the walls, some with the usual Chi and Rho, a cross, or prayers to St Peter and St Paul. Claudia knew these signs by heart; they were her guide to which tunnel to follow, which passageway to enter. At last she reached the tomb of Philomena, ‘Virgin and Martyr’, so the graffiti proclaimed, and sat down on a marble bench stolen from the cemetery above. This was a junction of three tunnels, a safe place, where Claudia and Sylvester could hear anyone who approached and so take another way out.

  Claudia put her stick carefully against the marble seat and waited. She checked the lantern; there was plenty of oil in the container and the wick was strong. She leaned against the cold stone, dabbing the sweat from her face, and wondered what Sylvester wanted. He had told her about some meeting out at the Villa Pulchra that she would have to go to; the Empress Helena would need her. Claudia was more worried about Murranus. She wondered if Rufinus the banker could throw any light on the attempt on Spicerius.

  At last she heard a sound, a clatter, the usual sign whenever Sylvester approached. She cupped her hand to her mouth, whistled sharply and then waited for the three whistles in reply. She breathed a sigh of relief: Sylvester was here. A shadow moved down one of the tunnels, and the silver-haired priest, his lean, tired face wreathed in a smile, emerged from the darkness. They exchanged the kiss of peace. Sylvester sat down next to Claudia and, opening a napkin, shared the bread and figs he had brought, as well as the small flask of wine.

  ‘Why do we meet here?’ Claudia asked between mouthfuls. ‘The danger has passed.’

  ‘The danger is never past, Claudia, there is always danger. We Christians are tolerated, not approved; we have only begun the journey.’ Sylvester took a piece of cheese and broke it in his hands. ‘There’s also danger for you, Claudia. You spy for the Bishop of Rome, but you also spy for the Empress.’

  ‘I never have, never would, betray either.’

  ‘One day you might. Choices have to be made, crossroads reached. Your father would have approved of what you are doing.’

  ‘My father is dead.’

  ‘He was one of us.’

  ‘Whether he was one of you or not, he would still have hunted down and killed the man who raped his daughter and murdered his son.’ Claudia turned on the marble bench, still half listening for any sound from the tunnels. ‘I don’t come to you, Sylvester, because I love you or your faith. If you remember, I came to you for help, and you promised you would find that man.’ Claudia tried to keep the pleading out of her voice. ‘The assassin with the purple chalice tattooed on his wrist.’

  ‘Claudia, we are helping you. Your assailant had a purple chalice tattoo, the mark of those who follow the rites of Dionysius, the drinkers of the grape, who worship the demons Bacchus and Pan. They include officials, priests and soldiers, a powerful sect.’

  ‘Magister, with all due respect, I couldn’t care if the man worshipped the Emperor’s arse.’

  Sylvester laughed drily and patted her on the hand. ‘I have news for you, Claudia, though perhaps it’s not very good. Rufinus, the banker, claimed such a man was serving with the Illyrian regiment. Well, I’ll tell you this, half the regiment wear such a mark.’ He pressed a finger against his lips. ‘I have done careful research on your behalf. You were not the only one to be attacked and raped; you were lucky to escape with your life.’

  ‘My brother didn’t.’

  ‘Hush now. The man who attacked you may have wanted you to see that tattoo, to distract you. It might have been a cover for other criminal activities, a symbol which could be washed off later. No, no, Claudia, listen, you know about tattoos, I could have one inscribed on my arm which I can never remove. I can also ask an artist to copy such a one, as easy to remove as a linen cloth from your neck.’

  Claudia moaned softly. Darkness hung all around her; only the lamp flickered. She’d never thought of that, she had been so convinced that one day she would find a man with a tattoo which couldn’t be hidden. Sylvester’s intelligence was always good, yet she remembered her assailant. She always would: his smell, his touch, his voice. She took a deep breath and tried to suppress a shiver.

  ‘I’m sorry, Claudia, but you must consider the possibility of what I’ve said. There are other alleyways and streets we can search. Close your eyes. I know it’s hard, but that evening on the banks of the Tiber, your brother was collecting shells, wasn’t he?’

  Claudia closed her eyes and nodded.

  ‘And the man approached you,’ Sylvester continued. ‘He killed Felix because he wanted no witnesses, nobody to protect you. Imagine him fighting, his body, the muscles of his arms, back and stomach.’ Claudia did so, and felt sick. She was back beside the river again, the sun setting, that man lurching over. She could recall his legs, the muscles of his calves, the strong arms like a vice of steel, the hot, wine-laden breath.

  ‘Soldier or priest?’ Sylvester asked abruptly, squeezing her wrist tightly.

  ‘Soldier,’ Claudia retorted. ‘Yes, he must have been a soldier. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him; it was like fighting an armoured man.’

  ‘Good,’ Sylvester murmured. ‘Here’s a man drunk, wandering the riverside, he doesn’t care whether he’s caught, he wants his pleasure. What he did was hideous, but he also ran a great risk. Tell me, Claudia, why should a soldier do that? Think of the soldiers in Rome. Most of them are flabby; even those called back from the frontier soon put on weight, let the muscles run to fat.’

  Claudia felt a thrill of excitement. Sylvester had been a lawyer; she always respected the sharpness of his thought, the logic of his argument. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

  ‘We’re talking about an athlete, aren’t we? Someone who is in constant training?’

  ‘No, Claudia, we are talking about a fighter. You described to me in great detail what happened; I told you to do that, to clear your mind, purge your soul.’ Sylvester made a circular movement with his fingers. ‘Could your attacker, the murderer of your brother, be a gladiator?’

  He half smiled at the hiss of disapproval from Claudia. ‘No, no,’ he added gently, pushing a lock of hair away from her forehead. ‘Claudia, reflect! Gladiators are killers, often lonely
men. Oh, they are hero-worshipped, but only because they have killed someone. They are in constant training. The women who worship them are either whores or degenerates from court. No,’ his smile widened, ‘I’m not talking about you and Murranus; he is very fortunate! I’m talking about those who hang about the gladiator schools and want nothing more than to give their bodies. Next time you mix with Murranus’s friends look at them carefully, consider what I’ve said. Was your attacker looking for fresh prey? An innocent maid? Some respectable young woman, a change from the usual? It’s common enough.’ Sylvester sighed. ‘As the Lord of Light knows!’

  Claudia stared at the far wall as if fascinated by the graffiti there: figures of men and women joining hands around a table and, underneath, Christian symbols about eternal life. She noticed the Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, the symbols of the Christian God. She was distracted by what Sylvester had said. Sometime soon, when she was in a darkened room by herself, she would meditate, reflect on what he had said. She felt a spark of excitement, a secret thrill, as if she realised she was on the verge of the truth.

  Sylvester broke off another piece of cheese, popped it in his mouth and walked over to examine the graffiti. Claudia sighed noisily.

  ‘Why am I here this morning? Why now?’

  ‘The Villa Pulchra, at Tibur,’ Sylvester replied, eager to change the subject. ‘Two matters of importance. The Empress Helena, as you may know, is collecting Christian relics. She seems to have a passion for them; her agents are scouring the countryside around Jerusalem searching for the True Cross. The Empress Helena believes she has found the sword used in the execution of the apostle St Paul. She has put it on show in a special room in the Villa Pulchra, a sort of exhibition when certain philosophers, the rhetoricians from Capua, debate matters of doctrine.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘To cut a long story short, yesterday afternoon, or so our agents tell us, the sword disappeared. The chamber or cellar has no secret entrances, and it was guarded by mercenaries. The door could only be opened by two keys. Timothaeus the steward held one of these, Burrus, the scruffy German who adores Helena, the other. Anyway,’ Sylvester bit into a fig, ‘yesterday afternoon Timothaeus, as usual, decided to check on the sword. The door was opened. Burrus, because he is frightened of the place, stayed outside. Timothaeus went in. Burrus heard a thump and a cry but dismissed this. A short while later he peered in. Timothaeus was lying by the circle of sand.’

  ‘Circle of sand?’

  ‘Yes, you will see, it stretches beneath where the sword hung from a chain. Only yesterday afternoon, the chain was empty. The sword was gone.’

  ‘And Timothaeus?’

  ‘Burrus thought he was dead, but the man had simply fallen in a faint. The alarm was raised, the guards called, Timothaeus was removed and the chamber searched. But no sword was found. A true miracle.’ Sylvester grinned. ‘Timothaeus believes that because of the squabbling between Christians, the Angel of the Lord came and removed the sword.’

  ‘Of course, it was stolen?’

  ‘So it seems, but by whom, why and how are truly a mystery. The Augusta will not be pleased. She will send for you. In fact, I’m sure that a message or messenger will have already arrived at the She-Asses ordering you to the Villa Pulchra.’

  ‘But there’s something else, isn’t there?’

  ‘Oh yes, there’s always something else. The Emperor has invited six rhetoricians, self-proclaimed philosophers, from the School of Oratory at Capua, a prestigious academy where many scholars study theology and philosophy and perfect their public speaking skills. It’s now become a thorn in the side for us, as the Arian heresy flourishes there. One of its most skilled advocates is a scholar called Justin.’

  ‘What is the bone of contention?’

  ‘The bone, Claudia? Why, the truth of our faith. Who is God? How does God act?’

  ‘I’m not a philosopher, I’m certainly not a Christian.’

  ‘No, you’re better,’ Sylvester retorted. ‘You are a woman of integrity with a keen mind and sharp wits. This is what we believe, Claudia. Our God is a triune God, three persons in one. The Father, pure spirit, sees an image of himself; that image is the Son, eternal and real, like the Father but not the Father. For all eternity the Father has always coexisted with His image. He loves that image and the love which exists between them is another person, the Spirit. Three persons but one God. Our faith teaches that the Son became incarnate, Jesus Christ, God yet man, confined yet infinite. The Arians, however, preach a different faith which would destroy the Trinity and reduce Christ to some glorified angel.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘The Arians must not win the debate. I will be joining you at the Villa Pulchra, Claudia, to persuade the Empress to give us her support. I want the Arian heresy to be destroyed and our unity maintained.’

  ‘What happens if they resist?’

  Sylvester rubbed his cheeks with his hands. ‘More stringent methods might be necessary; a diseased limb must be cut off.’

  ‘You mean, you’ll have them killed? You Christians who love each other?’

  ‘Heresy in our Church is like treason in the State.’

  ‘But what about the love of Christ?’ Claudia teased.

  ‘Let Christ love them,’ Sylvester replied tartly. ‘The Church must survive, but that is only one half of the problem.’ He paused to collect his thoughts. ‘On the one hand we have men like Timothaeus the steward; he is orthodox to the point of fanaticism. He doesn’t like the debate, he thinks the Arians should shut up or be silenced. On the other side are the likes of Chrysis, Constantine’s agent and chamberlain, a pagan born and bred. He rejoices at these divisions amongst the Christians; he will ridicule the debate, try and cast us all as agitators.’

  ‘But there’ll be your Bishop’s representative, the one who will defend orthodox teaching?’

  ‘Oh yes,’ Sylvester laughed sharply, ‘and he might do more harm than good. Athanasius is hot-tempered, a true firebrand.’

  ‘Do you think any of these philosophers could have stolen the sword? They were present when the relic disappeared?’

  ‘It’s possible. They could have seen it as something sacred to Christianity, not to be put on show by pagans. Others could have stolen it, soldiers, officials. Chrysis was coming and going to the villa; he would like nothing better than to upset the Christians. Or,’ Sylvester took a deep breath, ‘it could have been an ordinary thief, attracted by the ivory hilt or the sparkling ruby. But that’s not important, Claudia.’ Sylvester gestured around. ‘What do we care about graves, relics, philosophical debate? The Church is leaving the catacombs, it must remain strong. At this moment in time we are tolerated, not accepted. One day we shall be. We shall be the Empire. Can you imagine it, Claudia?’ he whispered. ‘Church and State, working as one, the City of God?’ His voice trailed away and he sat dreaming his own dreams of Empire before recollecting where he was. ‘I understand your friend Murranus is in difficulties?’

  ‘Murranus is always in difficulties.’ Claudia got to her feet, picked up her cloak and staff. ‘So we meet again at the Villa Pulchra?’

  ‘I’m leaving for there now.’ Sylvester smiled up at her. ‘I’ll arrive within the hour and see what mischief is planned.’

  ‘Mischief?’

  ‘Just a feeling . . .’ Sylvester rose to his feet and gestured to one of the tunnels. ‘I’ll leave by another route. Safe journey.

  ‘Oh, Claudia?’ She turned.

  ‘Yes, Magister?’

  ‘When you met Murranus for the first time,’ Sylvester walked over, measuring his footsteps carefully, ‘was it by accident or design? Did he seek you out or did you him?’ He raised a hand in a gesture of peace. ‘Think about that.’

  Claudia did so as she raced hot-faced through the tunnel, holding the lantern up, aware of the pool of light moving around her. Sylvester’s words had unsettled her. She was in the Kingdom of the Dead; behind these plastered walls lay the r
emains of those who had died violent deaths. Almost unbidden, her nightmares returned, of racing along tunnels like this, chased by her assailant with a purple chalice tattooed on his wrist. She could hear his breathing, and somewhere in the distance Felix was also fleeing, little legs moving fast. She wanted to reach him, but hands and arms came through the wall to grab at her. Claudia stopped at a corner.

  ‘Don’t be a stupid hussy!’ she whispered. ‘Be more frightened of the living than the dead.’

  She strained her ears; there was no sound, and she walked purposefully on. When she reached the steps, she replaced the lantern and found her hat had not been moved. She put it on and climbed up into the sunlight. Gripping her staff, she walked amongst the tombs. An old beggar woman, cloaked in black, hiding in the shadows, stood up abruptly, claw-like hands begging for alms. Claudia recalled the witches and warlocks who frequented this place to sacrifice a black cock at midnight. She would have screamed abuse, but the old woman’s face was seamed by time and her eyes were a milky white.

  ‘Just a denarii,’ the beggar lisped, ‘some money for some wine.’

  Claudia handed across two coins and hurried on. She joined the crowds thronging along the Via Appia, losing herself amongst them, relaxing at the usual smell of dirt, freshly baked bread, spiced meat and the ever-pervasive stench of oil. The travellers to the city were breaking their fast, so the cooks and food sellers, water carriers and wine pedlars were doing a roaring trade. Claudia slaked her thirst whilst gossiping to a farmer laden with two crates full of squabbling ducks. She asked him about his small farm and the prospect of a good harvest. The farmer, flattered by such attention, chatted like a magpie whilst Claudia stared back, narrow-eyed, along the way she had come.