The Kin

by Elsye Harwood

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Rome; Early Twenty- First Century; October

  David put the book down and leant back on the chair. He had to say something; he wouldn’t let this charade go on any longer.

  But how do you ask someone if they were actually one thousand, nine hundred years old, give or take a few years? Though of course, it was more than likely a huge wind-up, which had been carefully crafted and executed several times over the years and he was probably the latest in a long line of these men’s victims. He wouldn’t put it past them, especially not Marcus, to try and pull a stunt like this and get him to believe something which by rights should be impossible.

  He’d played along, but now he had to say something. And Fabia had to be in on it as well. The clothes she’d worn this morning, which had covered her completely, were obviously further evidence of this game that these men were playing on him.

  But he still wasn’t entirely sure that it was a joke. He’d seen that hand after all and he was pretty sure that hadn’t been faked. And the information in the book fitted into place so well, that it seemed anything was possible, but it was so ludicrous that he didn’t want to say anything because he’d look like a complete idiot.

  Was the book, and the fact they’d given it to him to read, part of their initiation games, or a deliberate way of introducing him to the true nature of the custodians and the Order?

  He stood and reached out and put the closed sign up. Then he opened the door, and paused. What was he going to say? They’d laugh, especially Marcus, or should he call him Junius, like Tully had? No, make that Marius. Or should he? Quite honestly he simply didn’t know any more and he’d had enough. Then he realised to his dismay that Nadia must also be in on the joke, or the cover-up, or whatever it was.

  He couldn’t go on pretending that he hadn’t realised that something suspicious was going on anymore. It was time to take the bull by the horns and get the truth. David grabbed the book and left the office bounding up the stairs.

  When he opened the door of the apartment, he saw to his relief that Fabia had gone, but Marius was leaning against the fridge watching the television, and Junius/Marcus, despite being in his suit, had taken over as Nadia’s support.

  Taking a deep breath, he approached holding the book in his hand for morale.

  At the kitchen table he stopped. Tully noticed him and began to speak. But David cut him off.

  “I’ve had enough now. I want to know the truth,” he declared feeling like a character of a soap opera.

  Marcus regarded him with bemusement and even Nadia took her gaze away from the screen.

  “What are you talking about, David?” Tully asked reasonably.

  “This book,” he said holding it up. “You’re either pretending to be the people in it, or you are them.” He turned to Marcus. “You’re supposed to be Marcus Junius Silanus, son of Marcus Junius Silanus who was consul in 110, and Aemilia Lepida, and therefore the heir of the prominent Junii family.” He didn’t wait for Marcus’s reaction but turned to Tully. “And you’re Marius Tullius Varens, centurion of the first cohort of the illustrious twentieth legion and later a member of the Praetorian Guard or you’re pretending to be him.

  “Trouble is, I don’t know which it is. I can’t make up my mind whether you really are these people or you’re playing a joke on me.” His words were met by silence, but Nadia broke free from Marcus and crept out of the kitchen with her head down and disappeared into her flat. Once free, Marcus lifted his hand to his face and turned away as if to conceal his amusement.

  It was Tully who spoke. “On what evidence have you made this conclusion, David?”

  For a moment David faltered. “Is this a joke or not?”

  “Tully, are you certain we should be offering him that job? He’s not very sure of himself,” Marcus said to Tully who glanced over and shrugged at his colleague.

  “Well, he thinks creatively, I’ll give him that.”

  “You called him Junius yesterday,” David said desperately.

  “It’s my middle name,” Marcus replied.

  “Yes, it is, and no one would call you that. But if you were Roman then, Tully would call you that all the time or Silanus. He wouldn’t call you Marcus at all, because that’s your private family name. I read up about Roman names.”

  Junius smirked. “No, it’s really my middle name,” he said and reached inside his jacket and pulled his leather wallet out. He flicked it open and held it over the counter for David to see. Sure enough, there was a driving license with a photograph identifying him as Marcus Junius Sylvian. “Happy? And look, see, I’m almost thirty-four. So yes, I’m older than I look, lucky for me. But not that old.”

  David studied the document; there was no question it was genuine. “But Fabia, she’s in the book as well, and Iulius. Even the one who was here the other day, Paul, you called him, but he’s Paulinus. I’m not making it up.” He fumbled in the book hunting for the right page whilst the two Romans waited patiently, exchanging glances with each other. “Here,” he said, “this description of Fabia. Hazel eyes with gold flecks and thick brown hair. See, that’s Fabia, that’s the same girl. And you, you’re the same. Green eyes and fair hair.” He turned to Marius. “There isn’t a description of you. But you’re supposed to be eight years older, which fits, and you’ve both been in the army. It’s you, I know it is.”

  Suddenly Marcus burst out laughing.

  David looked furiously at him as he tried to conceal his mirth.

  “I’m sorry, Marius, but I can’t keep this going any more. It’s too cruel. Yes, you win, David. Well done. You pass the test,” Marcus said still struggling to contain his amusement.

  “Test?”

  Tully nodded. “Yes, it’s not supposed to take so long, but you simply wouldn’t ask. We were getting desperate. We had to drop clues all over the place, though of course, some of us never really take it as seriously as we’re supposed to,” Tully told him glancing at Marcus, who rolled his eyes and turned away.

  David stared at him, still not completely comprehending. “So it’s true then? You really are those people? Shit…”He paused and looked from one to the other. “It’s not a joke?”

  “If only it were,” Junius said, regaining his composure. “But, unfortunately it’s not and I think that you need a drink.” David watched numb as the roman went to the sideboard and poured a measure of scotch into the three glasses. “It’s early, but you’ve had a shock.” He paused and grinned. “Haven’t we done this before recently?”

  “David, we don’t show the book to everyone. Elliot recommended you. He said that you’d find this place fascinating and useful to your studies and in return, we’d gain from having you stay with us. He was right. We’ve all benefited from you being here.”

  Junius handed him a glass, which David gratefully received and took a mouthful.

  “So why didn’t you tell me outright?” he asked.

  “Oh, and you’d really have believed that, would you? You’re struggling with it now despite the evidence.” Junius smiled. “You had to realise for yourself and then be confident enough to stand by your convictions no matter how mad they sounded.”

  “Which you were eventually,” Marius added.

  “And Fabia?”

  “What about her?” Marius asked.

  “She’s the same Fabia as in the book?”

  “Yes,” Marius told him patiently. “David, everything you think is probably true. We’ve been waiting for you to say something. We don’t declare it, you see. It’s sort of a tradition that you have to ask or come out with it yourself.”

  “Stupid one if you ask me,” Junius put in as he wandered off to look out of the window.

  David watched him go, his brain working furiously. “You still go to the Kin, don’t you?” Then he turned back to Marius. “You haven’t been pretending that bit, have you? All the arguments have been genuine. You hate the fact that he still feels something for them and yo
u worry that he’ll go off with them for good.” He paused and looked back at Junius, with wide eyes.

  “And you still have the urge to take blood, though you don’t like it, but you’ve got it under control now, so people don’t notice. It’s not made up. What are you?”

  Junius continued to gaze out of the window ignoring the question. The silence seemed to thicken around them and the room became increasingly tense.

  “David...” Marius began.

  “Are you a vampire?” David asked, ignoring the older custodian.

  Marius sighed and replied reasonably, “You know he’s not. He walks in sunlight, eats, drinks and he doesn’t need blood. You’ve read the book, he doesn’t fit into any of the five categories. He’s actually unique. His body’s been permanently changed by the Kin, but even they don’t know what he is. Though you’re right, they do still want him to join with them.”

  Finally David turned to Marius. “So the book is completely true?”

  Marius nodded. “We had to write it for Hadrian, and we put everything in. I wrote my sections and Junius did his bits. It’s what actually happened.”

  David stared at him not quite comprehending. “Everything?”

  “Yes,” Marius replied patiently.

  “And the Kin are still out there?”

  “They went to the Carpathian mountains,” Junius told him, finally turning around. “What’s the old name for the central part to Romania?”

  David stared wide-eyed for a moment then comprehension filtered across his face. “Oh my God, Dracula.”

  Marius made a disapproving noise. “For once Junius had very little to do with that situation, that was another group of bloodsuckers. Type Five, I believe.”

  David looked between the two of them, and Junius shrugged. “I’ve remained in contact with them much to Marius’s dismay. And yes, that’s who I’m thinking of visiting, but only once we’ve dealt with the problem in Prague.”

  Marius harrumphed. “You know how I feel, just don’t be too long.”

  “Am I ever? Two weeks maximum, you know it’s all I can stand,” Junius responded in an assuaging manner.

  Marius pulled a face and sighed. “I’m going to tell Elliot and, Junius, you have a meeting in an hour,” Marius said. “Oh, by the way, congratulations, David, you are now an honorary member of the Order; even if you don’t accept the job, you’ll always be welcome here.”

  “I accept the offer,” David told Marius’s retreating figure.

  “Somehow I thought you might,” came the reply.

  David was left with Junius, who turned and headed back towards the kitchen where David was still standing. He smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, I’m still sensitive and do overreact sometimes. You’d have thought that after all this time, I’d be used to it, but I’m not.” He glanced down at his glass and swirled the amber fluid. “Go on, ask away while I’m in the mood to answer.”

  “I understand how you’ve come to live so long, but…” David paused seeing the look of amusement on the Roman’s face.

  “I’m glad you know. Maybe you’d care to tell me?” Junius glanced up and smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I know what you mean. Yes, it’s obviously from the Kin. But?”

  David flushed, still nervous of his new discovery. “How come it spread to Marius and Fabia? And what about Iulius and Paulinus? Are Celer and Auticus with you as well?”

  Junius was still swilling his drink around. After a few seconds he glanced up and smiled. “I’ll answer one of those questions. Yes, Celer and Auticus are still going strong. Celer joined Paulinus in Prague yesterday and Auticus is going to join them when he’s finished dealing with some pesky fairies in Ireland.” He laughed at David’s face. “I kid you not, the trouble we’ve had with fairies over the years. Persistent little buggers, though some are actually quite big and a pleasure to know. But as to the other question. Let’s just say, it took us a while to work out what had happened, so I think you should do the same. Figure it out.

  “We’ll answer your questions, but we won’t tell you. Earn your stripes, and use the books. It’s all in there, if you know where to look.” He took a sip of his drink and stood up straight. “Think of it as your first official investigation, though you might be able to come to Prague as well, if it’s not too dangerous.”

  He picked up the book and studied it. “You know, I haven’t read this for years. These are mines of information.” He raised his eyebrows to give David a knowing look, then sauntered off with his drink to sit outside on the balcony.

  David considered the book for the moment. Finally, he put his glass down and followed the custodian to the door of the balcony.

  “Am I allowed to borrow the second one of these books?” he asked.

  Junius had been leaning against the barrier in his usual position admiring the view of the eternal city. He turned slowly to face David. He lifted his glass to his mouth and took a sip of the amber liquid.

  Then he smiled. “That’s definitely where I’d start, if I were you.”

  David nodded then turned and went off to the larger sitting room where the other official accounts were lined up on the bookcase. Quickly he scanned the bookshelf for the right spot, then he pushed the first volume back in and pulled the second one down, studied it for a moment then took it with him back down to the library.

  Historical Note.

  This is entirely a work of fiction, to the best of my knowledge the Order of the Arcane Knowledge to not exist and never have. Nor do vampires like the ones described in the book. Or any other vampire at all for that matter.

  Some of the information contained in the story is accurate though. For instance the Junii family were a powerful patrician family in Rome, known as the gens Junia and was one of the most celebrated families. Partly because Lucius Junius Brutus became one of the first consuls of Rome after the expulsion of the Kings. In 509 BCE. And of course Marcus Junius Brutus is famous for his part in the death of Julius Caesar.

  There are several men in roman history who bear the name Marcus Junius Silanus both before the time the story is set and after. Most of them manage to become consul, if they’re not poisoned first. It is believed that they are linked to and or descended from Augustus the first emperor and the other emperors of the Julio- Claudian dynasty.

  Ergot poisoning was wide spread in the past, though not well known in the Mediterranean countries as the climate was dryer and less conducive to the fungus. Ergot poisoning is caused by the ingestion of alkaloids produced by the Claviceps purpurea fungus which infests wheat, rye and other cereals. I have no idea if the romans were aware of this disease which in medieval times was known as “Holy Fire” or “St Anthony’s fire”. There is some evidence that ergot was used in the ritual killing of the certain bog bodies. So it’s properties must have been known.

  The mushroom spores are pure imagination, as is the story.

  Late in 116 Trajan’s armies defeated the Parthian army in northern Mesopotamia. He had spent several years in the area following in Alexander the Greats footsteps. Eventually he made Parthia a client kingdom and put his own choice on the throne as a puppet king after the region had rebelled against Roman influence.

  It seems reasonable that he would have sent trusted men out to survey the area given that he would have heard stories of Persepolis and Istakha and would more than likely had ideas to expand at a later date or looked for areas of possible trouble.

  Persepolis was burnt to the ground by Alexander in 330 BCE after which it was known as the place of forty columns. It seems that despite this it continued as the capital of Persia for a while but sources remain vague as to when it was finally abandoned, though we do know that it was eclipsed by Istakhr which was only five miles away when the Romans were in the area.

  So I’ve assumed that there were still remnants of a city there at the time of the story but as it was off the beaten track few people actually went there and maybe avoided it.

  It is well documented that in
contrast to Trajan’s expansionist views Hadrian preferred to consolidate the Roman Empire. Therefore upon his accession to the throne, Hadrian withdrew from Trajan's conquests in Mesopotamia and even considered abandoning Dacia. Though he eventually decided to maintain the province, he did return the area that had been most recently added to Moesia Inferior which is modern day southern Moldavia and the Wallachian plains to the Roxolani Sarmatians whose King Rasparaganus became a Roman citizen and achieved client king status.

  In this story I have offered completely unfounded and totally improbable reasons for these actions. But in an alternate universe I think it provides a good enough reason for Hadrian to withdraw his forces from an area if it had been infested with Vampires.

  By the second century it became obvious that an empire wide intelligence service was needed. So Hadrian turned to the frumentarii who had the task of supplying wheat to the legions in each province. They therefore would come in contact with natives and the army, which made them ideally placed to spy for him. They would provide him with local information about the given province as well as keep him abreast to dissent amongst his own officials.

  There were many different imperial bodyguards, from the Emperor Galba’s Speculatores to Trajan’s Equites Singulares. It seems reasonable to create another, secret one, which Hadrian formed but hid within the ranks of the guard.

  Glossary

  Acruvium, - A coastal town in Montenegro in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. It is now a world heritage site.

  Amphora – Storage jars used by Greeks and Romans.

  Apulum – A fort in Roman Dacia. Today it is in Alba –Lulia, Romania

  Aramaic – A family of languages belonging to the Semtic family these include Hebrew and Phoenician. It is still used today in Iran, turkey Iraq and Armenia to name amongst others.

  Aternum port – Roman town which is now Pescara in Italy. It was an important port for trade with the eastern part of the empire.

  Auxiliaries - These were non-Roman citizens. They were recruited from tribes that had been conquered by Rome or were allied to Rome. They also served for 25 years. At the end of their service they gained Roman citizenship as a reward.

  Axios river - Now known as the Vardar it is the biggest river in the Republic of Macedonia and a large river in Greece.

  Braccae – Latin form of trousers first introduced when the Romans came into contact with people from Gaul.

  Caligae - Nailed military footwear known for its grip.

  Century - A unit in the roman army numbering eighty men. Which consist of ten units of eight men.

  Cognomen - This began life as nick name, for example Silanus is a lengthened form of “silus” which means ‘snub nosed’. These names soon became a personal or hereditary surnames.

  Cohort - A unit of the legion that normally consists of six centuries (480 men). The first cohort is the double the size and made of the best men in the army. Normally 800 men.

  Colonia of Sarmizegetusa - In the Orastie Mountains in present day Romania

  Corona Civica - Was a crown awarded to a soldier who had preserved the life of a Roman soldier in battle.

  Corona Obsidionalis - Was a crown presented by a beleaguered army to the general who broke up the siege or saved it from destruction. It was made of grass, or weeds and wild flowers

  Cursus Honorum, the “course of offices”. This was a sequential order of public offices held by men of senatorial rank. It combined a mixture of military and political administrative posts. Each office had a minimum age for election, though these changed over time and there were minimum intervals between holding successive offices. You could not repeat an office. They were Military Tribune, Quaestor, Aedile, Praetor, Consul, Governor, Censor, Tribune of the Plebs, Princeps Senatus and finally Dictator and Magister Equitum.

  Dacia - A province of the Roman Empire from 106 to 274–275 AD. Equates to eastern and south eastern Transylvania and parts of Romania.

  Dalmatia - A historical region of Croatia.

  Diana - Associated with the hunt, moon and childbirth. She is equated with Artemis, though has separate origin in Italy. She is one of the three maiden Goddesses along with Vesta, and Minerva who swore never to marry.

  Dionysus - God of fertility and wine, later considered a patron of the arts.. His cult was one of the mystery religions and of an ecstatic nature.

  Doclea, - Was once the principal city of Duklja. It is close to Podgorica Montenegros capital.

  Ergot - Name given to a group of fungi in the genus Claviceps. The most common is Claviceps Purpurea.

  Frumentarii - Originally wheat collectors but became a secret service within the empire.

  Gentes/ genius - The essential spirit and generative power of a clan/family it was depicted as a serpent or as a perennial youth, often winged. It could also represent a building or intitution.

  Gladius – Short roman stabbing sword worn by legionaries.

  Governor - A citizen of senatorial rank who have governance of a province normally would have gone through the course of honours.

  Hades - The Greek god of the underworld who has given his name to the whole underworld.

  Jove/ Jupiter- King of the Roman gods, known as the thunderer and God of the sky. He was the chief deity in the state religion until Christianly replaced the pagan gods. Zeus is his Greek equivalent.

  Lares and Penates - Roman gods of the hearth and home. Considered spirits of the dead, Lares guarded homes, crossroads, and the city. The Penates, originally honored as gods the pantry, eventually became guardians of the entire household. They were associated with Vesta, the goddess of the hearth. The main function of the Penates was to ensure the family's welfare and prosperity.

  Lazyges - An ancient Sarmatian tribe who traveled form central Asia into Ukraine, then Hungry and finally settled in Dacia.

  Legate - The general in charge of an army. Normally older than 32 years of age.

  Legionary - A roman soldier and a professional heavy infantry man who enlisted in the Roman army for twenty five years. They had to be Roman citizens under the age of forty five.

  Livia, Agrippina and Messalina - All were formidable wives of the Julio –Claudio emperors who have shady reputations, some though, are more deserved than others.

  Mansio - An inn or stopping point on a roman road which was maintained by the government for use by officials when traveling.

  Mars – The god of war. Ares is his Greek counterpart.

  Medicus Legionis, - Was the Legion’s most senior medical officer with many years of experience to draw from. He/she would've served as a Clinicus (A field doctor who was also expected to fight as a regular legionnaire.)

  Medici Ordinarii - A medical officer who was the same rank as a centurion.

  Nero’s Domus Aurea, his Golden House - A landscaped villa in the heart of Rome. After the fire in 64CE, a large area was cleared so that Nero could have a villa with elaborate gardens.

  Nomen - A Romans family or clan name many people could have the same name and they therefore claimed the same common ancestor.

  Ostia – The port of Rome.

  Palatine -The centremost of the Seven Hills of Rome and supposedly the birth place of Romulus and Remus. It was also the home of many Roman Emperors and affluent citizens.

  Patrician - Roman aristocrats and ruling class.

  Persepolis - The ancient seat of Cyrus the Great and the Achaemenid dynasty. It was burnt in 330 by Alexander the Great.

  Pilum - Javelin used by legionaries.

  Potaissa - A fort located in Roman Dacia it is now in Turda, Romania.

  Praenomen - A Romans personal name used only by his family, household and close friends.

  Praetorian Guard – Handpicked soldiers who served as sworn bodyguards to the emperor. In addition to providing personal security for the emperor they could also operate as a secret service and Special Forces.

  Praetorium - General’s residence within a fort from which he would direct h
is troops. It is also the name given to the emperor’s headquarters and other large residential buildings. The command centre of the Praetorian in Rome was also given this name.

  Prefect - An auxiliary cavalry commander.

  Principia - The legate headquarters which were the administrative and religious centre and therefore the most important building in any Roman fort. It was situated in the middle.

  Pugio- Dagger worn by legionaries

  Quaestor - One rank up from tribune on the course on honours and a public official who supervised the financial affairs of the state. They were often civilian administrators who were attached to a legion and in charge of the finances.

  Roman army - Consisted roughly of eight men in ten units to make a century. There were six centuries in a cohort and generally five cohorts in a legion including the first cohort which consisted of six double centuries (eight hundred men). Generally, a roman legion was between two thousand and three thousand men. The Legate ( Legatus Legionis ) was the commanding officer then the senior tribune (Tribunas Laticlavus) who was second in command of the Legion. The camp Prefect (Praeefectus Castrorum) then the five other tribunes (Tribuni Angusticlavii), who served as senior staff officers to the legate.

  Roxolani - A Sarmatian tribe who migrated towards the Danube and lived in what is now known as the Baragan steppes in Romania.

  Sacramentum - An oath that rendered the swearer "given to the gods," if he broke his promise. It could also be a sacred bond which is forfeit if the oath is violated.

  Salinae - Roman salt workings.

  Susa - An ancient city of the Persian and Parthian empires. East of the Tigres River in the Zagros Mountains in Khuzestan province.

  Tartarus – The lowest part of hell/ hades reserved for the worst offenders.

  Thermopylae – Famous battle in 480 BCE when a small number of Greeks led by the Spartans held off Xerxes’s huge Persian army in a narrow pass for a number of days before being betrayed.

  Thrace – An area covering parts of Bulgaria, north-eastern Greece, and the European part of Turkey.

  Tribune - Tribunus Laticlavius, or broad stripe was the senior tribune and second in command of the legion. They stood above the other five tribunes known as thin stripe Tribuni Angusticlavii. This was the first step of the Cursus Honorum, so these young men would always be of senatorial rank from the richest families in Rome in contrast with the Tribuni Angusticlavii who would be Knights.

  Vicus - Name given to the settlement that grew up around a fort or mine.

  Viminacium - A major city and military camp which is now in modern day Serbia.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Elsye Harwood teaches History and Classics. In her spare time she enjoys the countryside, moving at pace through museums in an effort to persuade her family to hurry up and annoying her cats.

  For details of her other books, future releases and rants about the education system and self service checkouts please visit:

  www.elsyeharwood.net

  “Just put something at the end of the book that says thank you and that I hope they enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If it’s too saccharine and sickly I’ll feed you to the cats.”