“You heard?”
“Who hasn’t” replied the Thracian. “Was Capitolinus as angry as people say he was?”
Javenoli smiled. “Tell me what you heard?”
Istros moved forwards and sat on the low wall, legs stretched out in front and ankles crossed, as he rubbed at his nose and then scratched his cheek. “They say that Capitolinus demanded to know what secrets the gods had in store for this war. They say the readings are very bad and we will lose.” He looked to Javenoli. “Is this the feed I gave to the animals?”
Ignoring him Javenoli narrowed his eyes. “What else do they say?”
Istros’ mouth curled into a frown momentarily before he continued, this time making more of a report to Javenoli. “The crowds were waiting for the senate to come out of the building to see if we are to go to war again. But the doors were pushed open and men came out with cudgels and sticks and pushed the crowds apart. People were confused and the word was that the senate had been arguing about whom to appoint as dictator. The people love Camillus” he said with a nod “but many also favour Capitolinus because Jupiter smiles on him” he added. He scratched his nose again. “And then Capitolinus said that Jupiter had spoken to him and he demanded to know about secret meetings between the priests to hide certain significant auguries and signs from the gods from them.” He shrugged again. “Some argued it was rubbish, others argued it was the truth. There were scuffles, as you have seen. Then Capitolinus was seen being removed by his family, blood on his face and shouting ‘Jupiter’s words will ring the bell of truth’. After that some of the crowd followed him and others stayed to see what else would happen.” He moved off the wall to turn to look over the city. “Many people think that we will go to war and we will lose” he added.
Javenoli left out an angry rush of air as he turned with pursed lips towards Istros. “You must get a message to Capitolinus. Tell him I need to talk to him immediately.”
“What if he won’t come?”
“He will” replied Javenoli. “Tell him it is vital we talk.”
Istros bowed his head in acknowledgement. Javenoli seemed agitated so Istros asked “is there more you wish me to do?”
Javenoli looked at him momentarily before replying. “The feed I gave the animals was to support a wider plan to link my businesses into those of Camillus’ expansion of Rome by getting him to think that he must consult the gods more closely when making decisions. If, in doing that, he has to consult me” he raised his shoulders, “well that can only be a good thing.” He, then, shook his head before continuing, “Capitolinus has just ruined that plan and made his own position” his eyes narrowed as he turned to look out over the roof tops below them “more of a hindrance to my plans. The man cannot know what he has spoken of without a spy within my inner circle.” He glanced to Istros, who cocked his head questioningly. “I doubt it was you, Istros. Find out who the spy is and deal with them” he said with finality. “Make sure they know I am displeased before stripping their skin from their face and feeding it to the dogs” he added.
Istros bowed again and made to move away before turning back to Javenoli. “And if Capitolinus will not meet with you?”
“Then he will have made his choice and he will understand the implications of doing so” he smiled.
*****
Chapter 17
Marcus Manlius Capitolinus crossed his arms and smiled as Istros appeared in the road in front of him. He shook his head to the anxious look from the three bodyguards who strode two ahead and one behind. The Thracian leant back on the wall and smiled, his eyes watching the four men as they approached.
“Tell him no” said Capitolinus as he drew level with the bearded foreigner. “Our time together has ended. I see him for what he really is.”
“He says I must insist.”
“Insist as much as you like Thracian but it won’t change my mind. I have plans that do not include the great Javenoli” he replied with expansive arms and a sneer on his lips. “Tell your master that times have changed, his plans are not worth the scrolls he has them written on. Our paths will only cross when they have to” he shrugged.
“And your business dealings?”
Capitolinus stopped for a second and looked at Istros coolly. “I could use a man like you, you know” he said with a calculating look in his eyes. “I have plans of my own now, plans to make big changes in this city, plans which could use smart people like yourself, or are you Javenoli’s man?”
Istros smiled and cocked his head. “So, you aren’t coming to see the boss then?” he smiled.
“I find myself otherwise engaged” he added as he moved to walk away before turning back quickly to Istros. “Tell him he can come to my house if he wishes, but tell him our business is finished, I am now working alone” he grinned.
Istros nodded and stood watching as Capitolinus disappeared along the road, the rear-most bodyguard watching surreptitiously over his shoulder. Javenoli was not going to be happy, thought Istros as he, too, set off back towards the centre of the city.
**********
“And what of Camillus” said Capitolinus loudly as the faces looked up to him. He perused them slowly, his mouth twitching at the corners. “Do they see him as some kind of god? They crawl on their knees to him, scraping their fat bellies on the floor as they skulk to him. They cannot act without his word. How does he have such power over these men?” He let the words sink in as the assembled men, awestruck at this revelation, stared angrily at him. “You know my words are the truth” he continued, eyes wide. “Look at what they have done. Camillus tricked you all into believing that the spoils of war were yours, but you got nothing” he scowled. “Then he claimed a great victory against an enemy twice as large as our own forces. What’s new?” he laughed. “You Serginus, how many times have we stood together in the front line and bettered armies twice our size?” Serginus shouted an indecipherable response as shouts of agreement came from the audience. “And how many times were you afforded a triumph” he said as Serginus completely missed the point that as a plebeian and foot-soldier he would never be afforded such glory, as he angrily shouted “none Capitolinus. The dogs have cheated us” he cried in response as the crowd joined in by jeering and shouting how they had all been cheated of gold and silver.
“Yes” pointed Capitolinus as his eyes bulged and a vein in his neck stood proud in his clenched jaw. “Yes. They have cheated us all. Camillus didn’t win great battles. You did. When the Gauls were defeated, was it not because they’d let their guard down and had left their defences open so they could collect the gold from the temple of Jupiter? Yes, it was. Half of their army had left the city. Camillus waited until he knew their forces were light, until half of their soldiers had left the city. He waited while you starved here on this hill with me” he added thumping his chest. “And” he added as he stood tall and clenched his right fist, raising it slowly to eye level and staring at it. “Jupiter, greatest and best, gave me the strength to defend the Capitol against them. It was I who defeated their true army, with the grace of the gods and Jupiter’s mighty vengeance. I who faced down the hordes as they climbed up the Tarpeian Rock to kill you as you slept” he pointed at the crowd again as they stared back in silence. “Without my right arm and its god-given strength Camillus would have had no city to save” he glared out at the audience. “Without the Capitol being defended there would have been nothing left. You” he pointed at Serginus again, then to another face in the crowd, and another “would be a slave to a hairy barbarian who would beat you, work you to death and rape your body.” He held his breath as he shook his head before speaking again. “Yet, my friends, who was rewarded with a triumph? Who was given the name of second founder of Rome? Who has seen his lands double in size and his place in the senate become almost god-like? Who has become richer as you became poorer? Who has no debt while you, my friends, struggle to feed and clothe your families? Yet without my actions he would have had nothing to save. I saved you” he pointed again.
“Yet I don’t ask for lands, I don’t ask for gold” he said as he shook his head, dropping his chin to his chest and hiding his eyes. “All I have ever asked of the senate is that they give you a voice” he said. “It was me that raised the issue of land laws for you. It was me that asked the senate to give you grants of land in the territories we conquered. Yet they did nothing.” He allowed a small silence to grow. “I asked for fair treatment for all plebeians” he said more quietly. “I asked for debts to be cleared” at this a small cheer grew into a loud one. He waved his hands for silence. “Yes, they tax you and they take everything you have. They have tricked you” he stated again.
He took a long breath, looking towards the window where the statue of Jupiter stood in his garden. Eyes followed his as he allowed a small tear to form in the corner of his eye, wiping it before he spoke again. “When the barbarians agreed to leave Rome, the senate asked all of us” he circled the room with his eyes before continuing “to give them all the gold we had to pay the ransom to the Barbarians. Everything” he added shaking his head. “I even gave my family rings” he added, his hand held high to show his fingers were bare. “You gave everything you had, everything” he added with another shake of his head. “And yet when the barbarians were defeated, you” he pointed back into the crowd “didn’t receive your gold back did you?” he shouted. “No you didn’t. The gold was given to the state and used by the patricians to line their own pockets. This is your money. The patrician women were given back their jewels, but were you?” he asked to angry head shaking and groaning from the assembled crowd. “It should be used to pay off all your debts. Yet they tax you again” he let his arms slap against his thighs in exasperation. “They took everything, then taxed you, then used your money, your gold, to lend you funds to pay the taxes you owed them. Then they charged you interest on the money you gave them to pay the Gauls, money that was yours in the first place.” He stood shaking his head as men stared at him momentarily in confusion before the light hit their eyes and they turned to each other in anger and shouted for justice, men jumping to their feet from their seated positions and shaking their fists as the words formed pictures in their minds.
“Wait” shouted Capitolinus. “Wait” he said again. “And who is the leader of this gang of thieves?” he added with wide eyes. “Camillus” he said darkly, as silence fell again, eyes fearful at the words. “Why do the patricians bow and scrape to him?” he shrugged. “They see him as a king” he said, the words causing more angry shouts. “They do” he shouted. “Look how they agree to his every command. Look how they bend over for him as he asks for lands and handouts for his friends. Look at how he has profited from the recent wars.” He leant forward slowly and dropped his voice.
“But what about these latest issues with the messages from the gods?” he asked as he turned back to the window where the small statue of the Capiitoline god was visible, and beyond that the figure of Jupiter himself atop the Temple. “The Pontifex himself said there were bad omens” he added with a shake of his head. “The gods are angry” he added as men tapped their forearms and lowered their eyes.
People jostled again, turning to each other in fear. “No, don’t speak like that” shouted one man.
“It cannot be true, can it?” shouted another.
“I’m only telling you what I heard in the senate” Capitolinus said with a look of shock on his face, now sitting back in his chair and allowing the commotion to grow. He looked towards the window again, noting how those closest to him followed his eyes. Soon half the room were looking towards the Temple of Jupiter as silence stretched and the tension in the air grew. “The gods are angry my friends” he said quietly as heads turned back to him. “Angry at the senate bowing to Camillus as if he is the king of Rome” he said. “Remember, friends, that without Jupiter giving me the strength to force back those thousands of Gauls on that fateful night there would be nothing for Camillus to save. You would all be slaves, chained to the floor every night, forced to work in the fields or the mines. Your daughters raped” he added quietly. “Your sons butchered or buggered or both” he said as he looked up at the Temple. “Without me saving you from the Gauls, none of this would be possible. And now the gods are angry.” He stood again, looking out at the crowd crammed into his house, all eyes silently watching him, waiting on every word before he turned back towards the window and picked his way through the seated men to stand with one arm on the open window sill. “But why are they angry?” he asked the open space outside, as if he wasn’t surrounded by men who were listening to his every word. He held his breath as if waiting for a reply, people leaning forward to catch a sign from the temple above them.
“Should we go to war?” he asked quietly, men turning their faces to each other with horrified expressions. “Will we lose like we did at the Alliensis?” he asked in a whisper as if communing with Jupiter himself. “Are you unhappy that Camillus is treated like a king by the senate, his wealth growing while your followers are in poverty? Is that it?” he asked. The grumbles from behind him made the corners of his mouth twitch slightly, but he bit back the desire to smile. He turned his head as if he had heard something, the small twitch making men gasp as they watched. “Hidden gold?” he asked. “Debts for your people?” he asked again as he shook his head, looking out at the statue. Turning back to the crowd he saw expectant faces look up to him as he allowed his gaze to drop and nodded his head. “The gods are angry” he said quietly. “Angry that the senate are withholding funds which could be used for the common good. For you” he said with a glance towards the group of men. “Jupiter and his chosen men would not withhold such funds. I’d make sure of that” he added in a low whisper.
Turning abruptly, he moved to his chair, his voice now rising an octave as he said “and now I must eat, my friends. There is a lot to do for those of you who are leaving tomorrow for the campaign. To you I wish you a safe journey and the love of Jupiter. Remember what I have said, keep together, work as a unit and make sure you come home to your families” he added as voices began to rise and men cheered and slapped him on the back. “We, Jupiter’s followers, will support your families, make sure that they are fed and looked after. Go with the grace of Jupiter my friends” he said as the men rose and started to shuffle towards the door. Men waited to shake his hand, to touch him on the shoulder, to look into his eyes and ask for a blessing. Capitolinus looked every man in the eye and spoke jovially to them all, reminding them that Jupiter looked after those he chose. Men left with smiles on their faces and a spring in their steps as Capitolinus moved into the garden and placed a hand on the statue of Jupiter, kneeling at its feet as he spoke quietly.
“I hear your words, lord. I hear them. We will return you to greatness, to your rightful position” he said slowly before kissing the wooden feet in front of him.
************
Chapter 18
Dusty roads turned into deeply furrowed tracks as the soldiers marched into the hills towards Antiate. Trees were filled with budding fruit as men broke from their ranks at the orders of the centurions to fill cloth bags, bringing back food for their cohorts as they marched along in high spirits. Their destination was Satricum, a town south east of Rome and within two days of forced marching. Riders had been sent ahead to scout the enemy and their movements, and the men marched with their fighting equipment close at hand in case of sudden attack. Marcus watched as the files of men shuffled along, most of them silent as they moved along the road.
“The men do not seem their usual selves” he said to the officers sat atop their horses around him. A short silence followed his words before he turned to Narcius, his eyes narrow and lips tight. “Problems?” has asked as his officers all turned towards the first spear centurion.
Narcius took a moment to gather his thoughts. “The men are concerned regarding the bad omens” he said as Marcus shook his head angrily. “There are many who say that this is an ill-fated war and that we will lose” he added before turning back towards the
marching men. “None of the centurionate believe this” he added forcibly “but, well you know how it is with soldiers, sir. They follow every god, pick up lucky charms, don’t wash their hair if one of the tent-mates has a lucky day and didn’t wash his hair that morning” he shook his head in exasperation. “It is the way of the soldier” he added slowly.
Marcus nodded, noting that several of the officers were already moving to tap their right forearm three times to ward off the evil eye. Fear drove soldiers to make pacts with every god that they felt might offer them some security in the heat of battle, in the frenzy that caused one slip to mean the end of your existence. He’d seen it many times and understood it just as much as they did. He bit back the instinct to tap his forearm as he turned and smiled to the men around him. “The gods smile on out armies, you can be sure of that.” He turned to the men and issued a string of orders to keep the men tight, give them enough rests to allow them to remain fresh and to move the baggage up to the vanguard.
“Why are you moving the baggage forwards?” Narcius asked when the men had been dismissed.
Marcus looked out at the marching men, some grinning as they marched past, some saluting, but many putting their eyes to the floor as they walked by. “The baggage carts contain the personal effects of most of the men, they also contain the pay chests. I guess the men may walk a little faster to make sure that they know their valuables are safe” he smiled. “Might just take their minds off other problems as well.”
Narcius shook his head as he looked up at his commander and smiled. “I doubt it, but you’re the boss” he said with a smile as he saluted and turned to march back into the file of troops. Marcus watched him go, leaning forwards and stroking the neck of his horse. The day was still early, the heat only just beginning to reach the point at which marching would become difficult. He looked to the sky and considered whether the gods really were at war. The signs had been mixed, but also unmistakable in that the animals were infected with something which was eating away at them from the inside. The books of the elders had shown very few similar instances in the past, and as such it was difficult to find any solutions to the issues. It did, indeed, seem as if the gods were at war with each other. As he sat contemplating issues he noticed a file of men salute to him, and saluted back, nodding to the two centurions who marched smartly along at the head of their men, each man looking every inch the perfect soldier he had built into the magnificent army that marched to war.
The King of Rome Page 27
