“And these friends; I take it you are referring to those clans and families who are closest to your own?”
Marcus nodded. “The death of Cincinnatus has caused major concerns, as you are aware Gaius. You know my views of Capitolinus and his new title of patron of the plebs” he waved a hand dismissively as Javenoli nodded. “The conflicts in the streets, the constant haranguing of the state in the forum” he shook his head once more. “Cincinnatus was your friend. Do you know who killed him or why? We’ve searched for information and answers but so far we have nothing.” Javenoli responded with a shake of the head as he sat silently watching Marcus over the top of his cup. “Then we can only assume that if this is linked to Capitolinus and his desire for power, then the troubles have moved to a new level, one in which he is prepared to act with violence against individual senators.” He sat more stiffly as he spoke. “The families I represent have asked me to speak to you and ask for your, and your allies, support in moving to bring Capitolinus to justice for the unrest in the streets and for the death of a senator.”
Javenoli looked at Marcus, “How? There is no proof of his involvement, and what he says to the people who flock to his house are not revolutionary, they are simply, as he states, discussions on politics. None of it is, strictly, illegal.”
Marcus sat back and sipped some of the wine, his free hand tapping his knee before he spoke. “With your networks, and that of our families” he looked up at Javenoli to see him watching him impassively. “We can cover more ground, find out more information. We’ve” he took a moment before continuing, “got a man or two visiting his house to listen to his speeches, but, as yet, there is nothing which would stand up in law to prosecute him. So, we guess he has an inner group who lead the attacks” he added.
Javenoli nodded. “It would make sense for the man to have an inner group, but how do you propose to get one of these men to talk to you?”
Marcus frowned. “That’s why I’ve been asked to talk to you, to see if you have anyone who is close enough to the centre of his organisation who we can work with.” He looked up expectantly. “Maybe the man who found out about Mella” he said quietly.
Javenoli’s eyes narrowed before speaking. “Yes, that man would have been a good person, but he’s gone missing I’m afraid. That’s why I couldn’t get him to meet you and discuss the issue of Mella’s death as we discussed previously.” Javenoli stood and moved towards the fire, his back to Marcus. As he watched the flames flickering he considered various options. Having an alliance with Marcus and a group of the leading statesmen in Rome could be good for business, in fact new lines of business could be very fruitful if Rome continued to expand its frontiers. But it could also lead to issues with some of his clients, especially those who wouldn’t want their secrets to come to light in a more public forum. That could be dealt with easily enough though, he thought. The issue now was how he could remove Capitolinus without the man turning his own knowledge of their previous deals against him. His lips tightened as he heard Marcus moving in his seat, the silence stretching uncomfortably. “Forgive me, Marcus” he said as he returned to his own chair. “I’m considering options and I’m afraid I’m finding few channels through which I can see a clear opportunity to get close to Capitolinus.”
Marcus frowned. “Then we must be more direct.”
Javenoli inclined his head again. “When you hit the mule for being stubborn you must not stand behind it in case it lashes out at you” he replied.
Marcus smiled at this, seeing the twinkle in the old man’s eyes as he sipped from the cup. “Indeed.” He relaxed a little and let his thoughts run. “What I think you’re saying is that violence will only lead to more violence. Imprisoning him only caused more people to flock to his cause; the people love an underdog” he mused. “Yet history is filled with plebeians who have turned against each other when individual men have attempted to change the status quo. Why has that been?” he asked himself. “Because people don’t like change?” he looked up at the Pontiff.
“It may be simpler than that, Marcus. The people are like the sheep who follow the ram. When the wolf removes the ram, the herd will find a new leader to follow. Capitolinus is, though, the ram who would fight the wolf. The only solution he offers is one filled with violence, but he cannot fight the wolf alone. The people follow him but do not act because they do not know what a future without patricians will be like, and they fear it. Who will lead this new Republic, if that is what it is? How will every person in the state benefit from being a part of it? Believe me Marcus, I’ve considered all of these things whilst we slept on the Capitol during the darkest months as captors of the Barbarians. The people must know what our new Rome offers them. Without a comparison, everything Capitolinus offers appears to be a better option than that which they have now.”
Marcus nodded thoughtfully. “I see your point, Gaius.” He sipped some wine as he pondered the words he’d heard. “We are creating an empire, one in which every man has a place. You know my feelings on plebeian rights and giving them more control in the running of the state, of course” he said with a glance to Javenoli, whose head nodded in response. “We’ve never truly seen eye to eye on that matter” he said.
Javenoli inclined his head as he raised his cup. “I believe that people are born into power” he said firmly. “I understand your view that men can raise themselves from the gutter to a position of good standing. I’ve had many good clients, men who fought well in the wars, served me in times of peace and have done very well out of it for their families. Could they lead Rome?” he shook his head. “A good centurion is a good centurion. When the state needs to make decisions, it is men of old blood, good breeding and continued service who will make the right choices for the city; because they know what has been sacrificed by their forefathers, they can see what will happen in the future and react to it by knowing what has happened in the past. Giving people ideas above their position is like giving the ram the job of the wolf, he doesn’t have the teeth to act on his desires and will, inevitably, fail.”
“I think our ideas are not that different, Gaius. The Gauls left a legacy of fear and mistrust across all the people of Rome. The patricians mistrust the plebeians because the guards slept on the Capitol Hill and we blamed them for almost losing every family that was there that night. The plebeians mistrust the patricians because they see men like you and I continuing to function as we did before the Gauls, we control the resources and have the power to directly affect their lives. But what do we do with this power, we sell them the goods to rebuild their houses and farms at a high rate of interest.” He shrugged as he spoke, Javenoli’s mouth tensing as he listened. “We ask them to go to wars to fight for their own rights, rights which do not allow them to have a say in the way their city is managed. Rights which only extend to having one vote per clan and can easily be vetoed by the senate. If I was a plebeian I would be angry as well” he said as he slowly sipped the last of his wine. Javenoli leant forward to refill the cup, but Marcus waved the offered jug away and continued. “I see a Rome where loyalty is prized above everything. I believe leaders can be made, Gaius, not born. I see plebeians who have more skill as statesmen than many patricians, and I see them held back, frustrated and angered by the lack of opportunities to show that they have as much loyalty to the state than any patrician family. I agree though” he added as Javenoli moved to speak and Marcus held up a hand. “That timing is the key to this issue. Look what Capitolinus has done. He’s found the wedge to hold open the anger of the people. He’s pushed his foot into the door we try to close, giving every man out in the streets a glimpse of something inside that doorway that they’ve never had before. Do they know what lies within the door? No, but they hope it is better than what lies outside.” Marcus sat back again, he’d edged forwards as he’d spoken. “My views have changed, Gaius. But one thing remains constant. The people of Rome are not just patricians, not just plebeians, we are one Republic under the eyes of the gods. The future wi
ll be no better than the past if we do not allow plebeians the opportunity to work with patricians to run this city and all of our city states.”
“Maybe the dark months on the Capitol have changed us all Marcus. Maybe the possibility of having a future family member as a leader, a ram, has changed me too” he smiled as he looked to Marcus. “Maybe that has changed my outlook. What I see here” he lifted his cup and motioned towards the fire, “is a situation where the future of every man, woman and child is at stake. Do we sacrifice one individual to maintain order, to rescue the city from the clutches of a single tyrant and create the future we both desire? The sheep need another option Marcus. One which removes the threat of the wolf and offers hope, as you have mentioned. Yet the future you talk of, and even that which Capitolinus mentions, requires leaders. You, more than anyone, know how poor our leaders can be in times of struggle. If Capitolinus has a wedge in the door, how do we kick it out, and what do we replace it with?”
Marcus tapped his knee with his left hand as his lips pressed together. “Hope” he said. “We offer a better solution than Capitolinus is offering.”
“Hope won’t fill people’s bellies, or stop the disease that kills their children. I said, to someone else some time ago” mused Javenoli. “That the people are the key to the issues we face in the city, and I think that position remains true. Without the man in the street agreeing to support you, Marcus, you are just an individual with a grievance.”
Marcus sat and thought for a moment. “You’re right, Gaius. Infiltrating his closest circles will just remove one ram and replace it with another. We must remove the wolf, then give the would-be rams something which gives them hope.”
Javenoli smiled back at Marcus before speaking. “History suggests that removing the wolf will still leave the would-be rams wanting to be the next wolf.” Marcus looked quizzically at him as he re-filled his cup with a small measure of wine. “What I mean when I say that the people are the key to this issue, Marcus, is that the sheep should remove the wolf. Without the sheep acting as one, there will remain an element of the wolf in them all.”
“Then you’ll work with us? To remove the wolf?”
Javenoli nodded.
********
Brevo held out his hand and Capitolinus shook it. “You have saved my whole family. We are beholden to you. I’ll do anything you ask.”
Capitolinus placed his hands on both of Brevo’s shoulders. “You’re a good man, Brevo. The patricians have led you to this day, forcing you to sell your goods as they pile pressure on you with debts you could never repay. They owe you. Now is the time to get something back. Here” he held out a short wooden club, dark-brown, aged, oak with a leather handle. Brevo nodded sharply and took the object. “These men will be with you, but you are my leader.” Brevo felt a surge of pride as he allowed the weight of the club to transfer from hand to hand before nodding.
“Right, let’s go” he said, turning to head into the night.
Capitolinus touched Menenius on the shoulder, the plebeian tribune turning with questioning eyes. “Go with him.”
“Me?” answered Menenius.
“Yes, go. Prove to them that you are a leader, not a sheep” he replied with some hostility in his voice.
Menenius felt anger begin to grow in the pit of his stomach as he glanced to Sicinius, who caught the glance but turned away from their conversation as if he’d suddenly found a spot on the wall to investigate closely.
“Go. Prove to these men that you deserve a role in the future of the city. Go” pushed Capitolinus, making Menenius stumble slightly, two of the men looking back over their shoulders and hesitating at the sight of what was happening behind them.
Menenius ground his teeth, feeling his tongue lifting to the roof of his mouth as he swallowed nervously. He turned abruptly and marched away after the men, his face set and his shoulders tensed. Bastard, he thought, his breaths starting to come in deep, quick, succession. Bastard.
After a while the men arrived at their goal, a farm belonging to a patrician named Potitius, a lesser clan member of some of the senators of the same name. Menenius stood, his bladder filling quickly as Brevo whispered orders to the group. “You, take the gate, stand there and make sure nobody comes. Any sign of trouble whistle three times, got it?” The man nodded his reply. “You” his eyes fell on another younger man, short and chubby with long hair tied at the back of his head in a ponytail. “Back gate, watch for slaves leaving. Keep them all there, nobody gets away.”
“What if they fight back?” asked the lad.
Brevo’s eyes took on a feral stare. “Then fight back, idiot. No-one leaves” he snapped. The boy nodded quickly, Brevo looked around at the group rapidly as if searching every eye for signs of weakness. “You” he said, pointing to a taller boy, pock-marked scars across his cheeks. “Go with him and hold his hand” he said, as the taller boy smirked at the shorter. “The rest of us, we go in, we find the chest of coins and we get out. You three, hold the front door so we can escape, you” he looked at Menenius “come with me, watch my back. And you four, search every room. Anything you find of value you take, but you try and keep it back from the rest of us and…” he growled as he wiped his hand across his neck, his meaning plain. “Got it?” he asked as his eyes roved around the group.
Menenius swallowed the bile that was building in his throat, the fear of the impending attack suddenly making him feel dizzy. Brevo stared at him momentarily, so he nodded quickly, setting his jaw and baring his teeth as he turned towards the building.
“Let’s go”
********
Marcus knocked on the door, the retinue he’d brought with him standing behind, lights flaring in the darkness. The eye slot in the door slid aside, and two dark eyes peered out at him.
“Who is it?”
“Marcus Furius Camillus to see your master, he’s expecting me” he said formally. After visiting Javenoli, Marcus had agreed that a discussion with Capitolinus face to face was needed. If the man was truly looking to start a rebellion, then who better to speak to him than the man he hated the most in all of Rome. Javenoli had convinced Marcus that such a confrontation, with witnesses, would be the best way to find out what the man’s true feelings and plans were. Know your enemy, Javenoli had said, something that he understood all too well from his days on campaign. It had taken a few hours, but Capitolinus’ response to an urgent request for a meeting had arrived and the retinue Marcus had gathered together had set off towards the Capitol Hill. It was late in the night, not long before midnight, and the streets were dark, cold and damp.
The door opened slowly, and some of the group entered, others remaining outside with the blazing torches which they’d used to traverse the dark streets.
Inside Marcus was greeted by five men, Capitolinus standing in the centre with his arms tightly folded across his chest. “Welcome” said the host, his eyes flashing in the candlelight as the door behind was closed with a thump and a locking bar slid into place. “It is late, Camillus, to what do I owe this midnight visit?” he asked guardedly.
“Thank you for accepting my request at such a late hour” Marcus said, his tone formal. “We” at which he motioned to the men behind him, “have come from the senate to discuss your words in the forum and the impacts it’s having on security. There are concerns that…”
Capitolinus laughed, cutting off his next words. “You’ve come to my house, in the middle of the night with your hangers-on, to blame me, again” he turned to his own men and raised his arms in exasperation, “Of what?” he barked. “Of talking to people? Arrest every woman in the streets. Arrest every man on each street corner. I have nothing to answer to Marcus Furius. If I ask the questions you don’t like to hear because, under the eyes of Jupiter himself, you have a guilty conscience, then I cannot help you. If you come, again, to ask if I have any knowledge of the death of Cincinnatus” he shrugged, “I have told the senate all I know. The man was probably killed by the family of one of the debt
ors he’s ruined in the last few months. It has nothing to do with me. If you’ve come to ask whether these fires and night-time attacks are due to people I’ve incited to attack patricians” he shrugged, the edges of his mouth frowning. “I have nothing to do with this. So, mighty Camillus, what do you want from me?” he asked, arms wide as he stepped in front of Marcus and exhaled garlicy breath on him.
Marcus stood firm and allowed his chin to drop slightly as he looked directly at the man stood in front of him. “The senate has heard that people coming to your house have been told that you wish to overthrow the state and set yourself up as patron of the plebs. Is this true?”
Capitolinus stared at Marcus for a moment before his features relaxed and he took a step backwards to stand with the other men, his arms folding across his chest once again before he spoke. “The people of Rome are fed up with lies, treachery, wars which kill their sons, debts which cripple their families and decisions made by men in power who are not fit to clean the leaves from the streets in winter” he said slowly. “If the people choose me to be their spokesman because Jupiter himself has spoken through me, then what can I do but obey. Is that right?” he asked the four men by his side. Each man answered with a deep ‘yes’. As they voiced their replies he tapped his closed fist on his chest three times, each of the men standing around him swiftly copying his action.
Marcus felt a sudden chill in the air as all five men appeared to tense, leg muscles unmistakably twitching as if preparing to race forwards. He took a slow, silent, breath as he watched the men, his own shoulders tensing in response. “You hide behind the god” Marcus said. “As if he stands here with you and guides your actions. Is this how you hold power over these people, by coercion?”
The King of Rome Page 52
