* * *
Callicles came by a few evenings later to get drunk, thoroughly enjoying himself with Jesus and family. He brought along Demosthenes, mercenary friends Kago and Aeschesles, Gavinal Septimus and Marcus Pertinax, all riding to the Chrysippus farm in his touring wagon. Pulling up at a little past eight, the men observed Jesus and Ganymede having a sparring match by torchlight, the muscular slave now expert with the gladius. Quitting for the evening, Jesus and Ganymede walked to the wagon, the vampiric Christ greeting their guests.
“Good evening friends, welcome to our farm,” said Jesus, his father waving from the porch.
“What were you trying to do Julius, kill each other?” Callicles asked, stepping down and tying the horses to a hitching post, looking to Jesus and the slave.
“Heavens no, we were sparring, Ganymede wanted to learn the finer points of sword fighting. I’ve been teaching him for the past few months.”
“You fight well,” an impressed Kago observed, he considered an expert swordsman.
“Thanks,” said Ganymede, wiping sweat from his brow while the others stepped from the wagon and headed for the porch.
“May I spar with your slave?” Kago asked, feeling he could use practice while Callicles inquired if beer or wine was available, Joseph answering in the affirmative, calling for Ruth.
“Ask him, or you can spar with me if you like,” Jesus replied, standing on the steps, sword in hand.
“I’d like to try you both,” said Kago, looking to his sheathed gladius.
“What do you think?” asked Jesus, turning to Ganymede, standing a few feet from the porch, sword in hand.
“I’m game,” said Ganymede.
“Okay, who’s first?” asked Kago, walking down the steps and unsheathing his gladius.
“Don’t get rough with them Kago, they’re friends of ours,” said Callicles.
“No problem boss,” Kago acknowledged with a wave of his sword.
A confidant Ganymede stepped forward and said, “Defend yourself friend.”
Jesus moved to the porch. The slave went for the mercenary in a determined attack, swords colliding for the next fifteen minutes, the pair in a mock dance of death before the others.
“Your slave would do very well in the arena,” an impressed Gavinal remarked to Joseph while Ruth passed cups of beer to the spectators, slaves Icarus and Brutus also there, drinking beer and delighting in the revelry.
“That’s what my son says,” Joseph answered, intently watching the match.
“You’re pretty good,” said Kago, making a gallant attempt to fend off Ganymede.
“Not half as good as Julius is,” Ganymede replied, pressing the attack and disarming the mercenary seconds later.
“Shit!” Kago exclaimed, staring at his gladius sticking in the earth.
“Looks to me like you’ve met your match Kago,” said Aeschesles.
“I need a drink,” a sweating Kago replied, pulling his gladius from the earth and returning it to its scabbard.
“Want to try me again?” asked Ganymede, holding his sword in an attack position.
“I’m too tired, you beat me fair and square, that’s enough for today,” said Kago, both men heading for the porch.
“What about me?” Jesus asked as the mercenary walked past, grabbing a cup of beer from a table.
“Forget it, if you taught him to fight that well I’m no match for you either,” a frowning Kago observed, taking a deep drink of beer. Later, the party headed to the kitchen where a buffet table prepared by Ruth was stocked with various fare. Each man helping himself to a plate, they moved out to the torch lit porch in the warm fall evening, Jesus leaning against a porch rail drinking beer from a pitcher. Drinking and talking over the next hours, a curious Kago was engaged in conversation with Ganymede, asking him how he learned to fight with a sword so well.
“I’ve fought with them for years, my former master Marcus Trajanus was a professional gladiator in his youth,” said Ganymede, refilling his cup from a pitcher.
“So was I, but they never taught us to fight that well in Capua.”
“Julius the younger taught me the finer points only this year; he learned from warriors in a country called Kush.”
“It’s too bad you or he couldn’t teach me your moves,” a drunk Kago replied, Jesus and consort having excused themselves near midnight so they could head out and sate their need for blood. Not that they put it that way, they were gone less than an hour, finding, slaughtering and robbing thieves on the west road.
“Perhaps we can if the master doesn’t mind,” said Ganymede, rather drunk.
“I’d appreciate it, you fight well with the gladius, how are you with a long sword?”
“I, Julius the younger and his father can use either weapon, but they and I prefer the gladius for close fighting.”
“A long sword has more power, I took a thief’s head off with one last month,” said Kago, slurring his words.
“True, but the gladius is much easier to handle,” Ganymede replied, their conversation continuing for the next half hour, the drunken slave attempting to show him attack moves from his repose in the chair, fortunately without a sword. Their hunger sated, Jesus and Mary flew to the farm, transforming in the shadows, returning as Brutus fell to the porch floor unconscious.
“That Brutus of yours drinks entirely too much,” said Callicles, looking to the still form on the floor.
“That’s the pot calling the kettle black is it not?” Gavinal asked, looking to the trader as Marcus Pertinax smiled, he leaning heavily against the porch rail.
“Come to think of it Gavinal, yeah – get me another beer will you girl?” asked Callicles, looking to Ruth while the rest of the group laughed. Ruth returned with beer as Callicles asked Jesus, “You and the wife are heading back to Europe?”
“Yes,” said Jesus, “I miss Rome and Etruria.”
“I’d never miss Rome, much of the place is a pigsty, excepting for the Emperor’s palace on the Palatine, along with the temples and the forum,” said Gavinal, having been in Rome many times on government business.
“That’s only in the slums Gavinal, further, we still own land in Gaul, I want to see how our vineyards are doing,” Jesus lied.
“I see, a business trip,” Gavinal replied, trying to focus on Jesus.
“That and a vacation,” said Jesus.
The unbridled drinking continued through most of the night, the slaves falling to the floor one by one, Jesus looking to the east for the rising sun near five. Callicles finally collapsed to the floor unconscious while notary Marcus snored away in a chair. The Magdalene had retired near three, with Jesus, feigning drunkenness as the sky was lightening near six, remarking, “I don’t know about you folks, but I’ve had it.”
Joseph nodded, looked to his son and replied, “I’ll bid them farewell and see you later today after you sleep it off.”
“Right dad,” said Jesus, rising unsteadily for better effect.
“May you and your wife have a safe trip to Europe Julius the younger,” Gavinal called as Jesus started for the door.
“Thank you friend Gavinal,” Jesus replied, shutting the door to protect him from the rising sun.
“I love that guy, but your son’s so pale, he needs some sun,” said Gavinal.
“He and his wife Maria are thinkers, spending their evenings in introspection and studying scrolls,” Joseph replied, “Most times he rarely goes to bed before sunrise.”
“Like my uncle Sextus in Rome does,” said Gavinal, dropping the subject and pouring a glass of beer as the sun broke the horizon.
Joseph and Gavinal sat on the porch for another hour, sleepy slaves helping him, Demosthenes and a plastered Marcus Pertinax to the touring wagon at seven, a brilliant fall sun rising over Tibernum. The unconscious Callicles, with a pickled Kago and Aeschesles
, were loaded aboard as human cargo and spirited away from the farm while Joseph waved from the porch.
“Life is good,” said a smiling Joseph as he shut the door, his slaves snoring away on the porch. Heading for his bedroom, he fell into bed, the rest of his household in blissful slumber.
Dark Resurrection Page 63
