Roman Dusk: A Novel of the Count Saint-Germain (Saint-Germain series Book 19)

by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

  Villa Laelius—the Laelius’ Roman home

  Villa Ragoczy—three miles northeast of Roma

  Villa Solea—Melidulci’s villa near Misenum

  Viminalis Hill—northeastern Roman hill

  Vindobona—remote border city in Pannonia Superior; Vienna today

  Virgo Aqueduct—major aqueduct on the north side of the city, feeding the Baths of Caracalla and private houses, among other things

  White Fountains of Pergamum—actual spa; still there

  GLOSSARY

  a/ae—a copper coin, very low value—about $.05 in buying power

  abolla/ae—calf-length pleated cloak

  Apollo—Roman god of music, science, the sun, and masculinity

  Astraea—goddess of justice and law

  athanor—alchemical oven, shaped like a traditional beehive

  atrium/ia—central courtyard in Roman houses

  aurea/ei—Roman gold coin

  Bacchus—Roman god of wine, indulgence, and madness

  ballista/ae—Roman military catapult

  Balus—Syrian sun-god

  bestiarius/ii (m), bestiaria/ae (f)—animal trainers, usually circus slaves

  biga/ae—two-horse chariot

  bireme—military ship with two banks of oars

  Bona Dea—the Good Goddess, often used as oath or expletive

  bracae—long and short britches; riding pants

  byrrus—travel-cape

  calceus/ea—laced travel-boots

  Cama—Roman goddess of the physical body

  carpentum/a—large wagon, usually drawn by oxen

  centurion—sergeant; in charge of a squad of 100 men, called a century

  chandys—knee-length Persian caftan

  Cherusci—barbarian eastern Germanic peoples

  convivium/a—evening meal, generally with guests

  commoda/ae—necessary four percent commission for civil servants and others

  Consivius—god of cities and civilization

  Copia—goddess of abundance

  Curia/ae—Roman Senatorial adjunct; a cross between the Supreme Court and Privy Council

  Daci/ii—a native of Dacia

  dalmatica/ae—caftan-like Roman daily-wear garment, mostly worn by men

  decuria/ae—mid-level civil servants, usually connected to the courts

  denarius/ii—silver Roman coin, about $2.00 buying power in 218, reduced to about $.25 in 220 due to debasement of the coins

  Diana—Roman goddess of the moon, the hunt, and feminine chastity

  Dis—Roman god of death and the underworld, a name rarely spoken for fear of bad luck

  Discordia—Roman goddess of enmity and strife

  Divus/Diva—honorific for those made gods

  Doma—unmarried adult daughter of a householder; Miss

  Dominus/Domina—literally, leader of a house (Domus); later lord and lady

  ecce—behold

  fascae—straps, bandages; also bras

  Feast of Balus—the Summer Solstice feast of the Syrian sun-god

  mlia/ae—girl, daughter

  forum/a—marketplace; city center

  Forum Guard—paid semi-private security force for markets

  Fortuna—Roman goddess of good fortune

  Fraus—Roman goddess of treachery

  freedman—any freed slave

  freeman—any humiliorus born free

  Genius—god of life; the individual spark

  gens—extended family

  Great Games—entertainments held in the Roman circus

  Hercules—demigod hero of great undertakings

  holocaust—household furnace—Roman houses had radiant heat

  honestiorus/a—upper class person

  honoratus/a—honorific for those in the diplomatic or governing services

  humiliorus/a—lower class person

  illustriatus/a—noble person

  insula/ae—apartment house

  Janus—Roman god of doorways, beginnings and endings

  Jupiter—Roman master-god of thunder, glory, and civic pride

  kalasiris—standard Egyptian male dress; one-shouldered kilt-like outfit

  lacerna/ae—voluminous sleeved cloak

  laena/ae—woollen cloak

  lares—household gods and deified ancestors

  Lictor—in 220 AD, a provincial regional military official

  liquamen-ubiquitous fish sauce, the equivalent of catsup, also called garum

  lorica/ae—segmented or large-link chain-mail body armor

  mafortium—hood

  Magna Mater—Great Mother! Olivia’s favorite oath

  mal aria—miasmic fever, malaria, literally, bad air

  mani/e—men’s briefs attached to leggings, and women’s bikini-type underpants

  Mania—goddess of death and grief

  mantele—summer-weight cloak

  Mars—Roman god of war

  Mercury—Roman god of commerce and communication

  Minerva—Roman goddess of wisdom, law, and strategy

  Mithras—Middle-Eastern savior-deity

  Nemesis—goddess of vengeance

  Neptune—Roman god of oceans, horses, and earthquakes

  numen/ina—spirits of place or specific designations of place, such as borders, orchards, etc.

  paenula/ae—long, hooded cloak

  palla/ae—standard female over-garment

  pallium/ii—long-sleeved, knee-length tunic; usual daily wear for Roman men

  Parcae—the Fates

  Patronus/i—patron, an honorific for members of the equestrian and noble classes

  Paulist—one of the two most prominent schools of Christianity in Roma, the other being Peterine

  pero/i—ankle-boots

  Persian—from central Persia (modern Iran)

  Phlegethon—one of the five rivers of the Underworld; this one is made of fire

  Phobus—Greco/Roman god of fear

  pluvial—oiled-wool poncho, worn in the rain

  Pomona—goddess of orchards, a numen

  porticus—front colonnade on large homes and public buildings

  Praetorian Guards—military troops protecting the Emperor and Roma; the SWAT team

  prandium/ia—midday meal

  Prefecture of Customs—import tax board

  Prefect of the Fora—administrator of markets

  Prefect of Trade—Roman merchants’ courts away from Roma

  Prefect of the Urban Guard—commissioner for the cops and firemen

  Prosecutor—official administrator

  quadriga/ae—four-horse chariot

  retriarius/ii—arena fighter using a trident and net

  ricinium/a—hood

  sagum—pleated cloak

  sale—Gallic hooded cloak

  Saturn—Roman god of time and fate, the father and devourer of years

  Saturnalia—five unnumbered days at the end of the year; a festival of feasting and excess, since the days, being unnumbered, do not count

  Senate—Roman governing aristocratic body

  Somnus—Roman god of sleep

  stola/ae—standard female inner garment

  Swine Fever—cholera

  tepidarium/ia—swimming pool

  thermopolium/ia—curbside bar and grill

  tibia/ie—straight pin, part of jewelry; also a musical instrument like a straight trumpet

  toga virilis—formal upper-class Roman male dress; the tuxedo and/or morning coat of the times

  trabea/eae—Etruscan-style pleated and sleeved tunic

  trattorium/ia—restaurant

  trireme—military ship with three banks of oars

  tunica/ae—Roman basic dress for males and children; occasionally worn in summer by women

  Twins, the—Castor and Pollux, Gemini

  Urban Guard—police force between Praetorians and Watchmen, often used in cases of violent crime and crowd control; also served as firemen

  venation—a hunt in the arena
/>   Venus—Roman goddess of sensuality and female sexuality

  Verplaca—Roman goddess of domestic accord

  Vertumnus—god of gardens and transformations, a numen

  Vesta—Roman hearth goddess

  Vestal Virgins—Roman female supervisors, traditionally six in number; for six centuries having authority equal to the Senate and capable of overruling the Emperor; by 200 AD, their power is diminished

  Vulcan—Roman god of the forge, volcanos, and metals

  Watchmen—Roman city patrol, the Vigilis

  White Disease—leprosy

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously

  ROMAN DUSK: A NOVEL OF THE COUNT SAINT-GERMAIN

  Copyright © 2006 by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

  A Tor Book

  Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC

  175 Fifth Avenue

  New York, NY 10010

  www.tor-forge.com

  Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

  eISBN 9781429996723

  First eBook Edition : March 2011

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Yarbro, Chelsea Quinn, 1942—

  Roman dusk : a novel of the Count Saint-Germain / Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.

  p. cm.

  “A Tom Doherty Associates book.”

  ISBN-13: 978-0-7653-1393-5

  ISBN-10: 0-7653-1393-6

  1. Saint-Germain, comte de, d. 1784—Fiction. 2. Vampires—Fiction. 3. Rome—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3575.A7R66 2006

  813.54—dc22

  2006005033

  First Hardcover Edition: September 2006

  First Trade Paperback Edition: January 2008