by Nhys Glover
“Oh, there you are, Ennia Corva,” my aunt Livia said as she bustled into the atrium. She wrinkled her nose as she registered the smell. “Oh dear, the stench of burning is going to get into all the fabrics. This happens every year!”
“What is it, aunt? This smell,” I asked with interest.
“Oh, fires in the slums. They happen every year. This one started in the Circus, so they are saying. It is spreading quickly because of the winds. But people love a good drama. It will be put out fast enough, as they always are. Until then, we just have to put up with this odour.” She wrinkled her nose for good effect.
“Fires? You mean people’s homes are being burned down?”
“Yes. If you can call those monstrous insulae homes. You would think that if they burned down they could be rebuilt somewhat better. But oh, no, they just construct similar hovels over the old, which will burn down again the next time someone’s cooking fire gets out of hand.” She sighed with disgust.
“But what happens to the people? Do they escape the fires? Have they got somewhere to go?” I demanded, annoyed by her complete lack of interest in the wellbeing of others.
If I went down there, could I help those who were injured or burned? I had salve that was good for burns. But would I have enough?
My mind was now working furiously, trying to plan what I could do. I would need more ingredients if I was going to make more salve. And clean bandages to keep the burns covered while the salve did its work.
“Who knows where those people will go. As long as it is not up here, I do not care. They always find some hole to crawl into. As I said, this is nothing unusual. Rome is a tinderbox at this time of year. I wish we had a villa closer to the coast. But Etruscus says he must stay in Rome, and we must stay with him. He does not like country life. So little to do, you know.”
I did not disagree, as I knew it was a wasted activity. What I needed to do was find out how bad the situation was and whether my skills could be useful.
“No, Mistress. Whatever you’re thinking, no,” Minerva said softly, trying not to be overheard chastising her mistress.
“I have to help, Minerva. You know I can help,” I said as my aunt bustled away.
“It’s too dangerous. We have to stay here where the fire won’t reach us,” Minerva insisted, a little louder now that my aunt was out of earshot.
“I have to at least determine the extent of the fire and... and Pater’s gladiators may be at risk.”
“Campus Martius is mostly open space and stone public buildings. They will be safe out there. You are not using them as an excuse to put yourself, and me, in danger!” she argued.
I sighed heavily and turned away, unwilling to argue with her. I needed to get outside and find out what the situation was like. If I went further up Palatine Hill I might get a better view of the location of the fire and how far it had spread. If I went down I might come in contact with those I could help...
It was more important to get an idea of the location and extent of the fire first before rushing in. I was no longer a child who does not consider consequences. If I went down there I might put the slaves with me in danger, causing more harm than good.
Pater had left me two bodyguards and four litter bearers for my exclusive use. I sent for them now and explained I was going further up the hill on which my uncle lived. Further up were the exclusive homes of the wealthy, including the emperor’s own domus. No one could argue that going up there was not a safe option, if I had to go out.
“Minerva, you may stay here. I am only going up the hill to get a better view of the extent of the fires. All right?”
She tutted at me and bobbed her head in reluctant approval. I could tell she was torn between going with me to keep me safe and staying inside where it was comfortable. I knew she loved me and was loyal to me, but I also knew she enjoyed her creature comforts too much. Her bulbous body was testament to that.
I turned away for the front door where I knew the bearers and guards would be waiting. The stench of burning assaulted me as soon as I opened the front door. It was so much worse outside than it had been in the open roofed atrium.
I climbed into the litter and waited patiently as it was lifted up by four strong slaves. They made it look as if I was no weight at all. But their worried expressions affected me.
“Ramus,” I called to one of the two aging, retired gladiators Pater assigned to me when he agreed to let me stay on in Rome. The two were still effective fighting men, if probably not as good as Asterius had been as my bodyguard.
Ramus came forward and gave a small bow.
“You all look worried. Is there something I need to know?” I asked.
He cleared his throat. “They’re saying the fire was intentionally lit. And it’s bad. We’re safe enough going up Palatine, but nowhere else.”
“Intentionally lit? Who would do such an awful thing?” I demanded in horror.
“Depends who y’ ask. Some say them Christians and some say Nero.”
I stared at him blankly for several long seconds. I could not take in his words. I had heard about the new Christian sect that was popular with slaves. But from what I had been told they worshipped a god of peace and love. Why would Christians do such a terrible thing?
And Nero? I know they said he was a little mad, but even he would have no reason to destroy his own city, would he?
“Explain, please,” I requested using a tone that would have been more suited to addressing patricians than slaves.
Ramus looked at his fellow guard, Janus, and then sighed heavily. We were now moving up the stone road and Ramus strode on one side of the open litter while Janus strode on the other with me in the middle. The litter brought me almost to eye level with them both.
“There were some texts being distributed that predict a great evil city’ll be destroyed by flames when the Dog Star rises. That’s today. Them Christians believe Rome is an evil place that their god’ll destroy. Some say they’re making that prophecy happen.”
“That was a prophecy from Aegyptus,” argued Janus. “Them Christians don’t come from there.”
“No, but they’d’ve heard the story, so they might’ve decided to help bring about the downfall of Rome they believed was gonna happen anyway.”
“But they believe in love and peace,” I argued.
“Some do. Some are as bad as them Jews. Violent bunch, they are,” Ramus countered, getting into his argument and forgetting who he was speaking to.
“And Nero? What benefit would he gain from burning down his own capital?” I went on, enjoying the heated discussion. I could forget about my own pain in moments like this, not to mention my worries for the people facing the inferno below us.
“Nero thinks Rome’s a squalid heap. He wants to build somethin’ that’ll be more in keepin’ with the glory that is his empire. He ain’t wrong. This place is a cesspool with a few pretty buildings in between,” Ramus answered heatedly.
I considered both arguments. Neither made sense. Not enough sense to deliberately set a fire that could kill thousands of innocent people. I did not believe even Nero was willing to do that. But if the people thought he could do such a thing they might turn against him. He might be a god, but it was the citizens of Rome who made him one.
We had climbed almost to the summit now, and I told the bearers to put me down. I sprang out of the litter to get a better look at the city below Caelian Hill. The valley was ablaze, the smoke rising in billowing waves blown about by the winds.
Oddly, though the wind on my face was blowing only one way, the smoke was being blown this way and that. It was as if the gods were standing on the hills on either side of the congested city blowing on the flames to drive them higher still, much as a man would blow on embers to make them flare back into life.
Even in the simmering heat I felt ice run down my spine, chilling me to the bone. It was the most terrifying sight I had ever seen.
As I watched, the fire raced from one wooden structure t
o the next. The ant-like people were running everywhere, their anguished screams intermittently reaching us on the wind.
This was no minor fire my aunt took it for. This was a raging inferno!
“Something must be done!” I whispered. “If something is not done soon all Rome will burn.”
Ramus grumbled at my side, but Janus nodded reluctantly.
Yet what could I do? How could I stop a fiery monster like this one? We needed rain. But unless the gods took pity on us, rain would not arrive soon enough to save us.
“It might still be contained. People say there are fires like this every summer,” Ramus argued.
I shook my head, dread making my mind sluggish. This was not a small fire that would easily be brought under control. Not with these winds that seemed to be intentionally fanning the flames.
What if the Christians were right? What if their god was doing this? What if he was burning down this hub of Roman civilization to prove just how powerful he was? How else could you explain the strange way the winds were blowing?
But the whys of the situation didn’t matter. Down there people were hurt, terrified and dying, even as I stood here watching.
What could I do to help? I was just one woman with a few healing skills. This was beyond me. If I went down there it would be like trying to put out a fire in a hearth by spitting on it.
But could I just stand by and watch? Or huddle in the domus of my uncle as people burned to death or buildings collapsed on them? No, no I could not!
We needed to find a safe place to take the injured. Up the hills? It seemed the fire raged in the valley where most of the wooden dwellings were to be found. The ‘slums’ as my aunt so scathingly referred to them. Would it remain there? Unlikely.
What we needed was an open area where there was nothing for the flames to feed on. Campus Martius? Nero’s gardens? What about on the other side of the Tiber? The river might block the fire’s path. But the bridge across to the other side of the river was narrow and the gardens would be locked and protected by guards. It was not my place to request it be opened so a hospital of sorts could be set up within.
I wished suddenly that I had the kind of power it took to make major changes in the world around me. Who was I but a low-born noblewoman? Even if I knew what to do to help the city I could not.
“It’s moving fast,” Janus growled out worriedly. “And it seems to be travelling in all directions at once. It’s madness down there.”
I could not help but nod my agreement. Helplessness overwhelmed me. The crisis was too big. Too much!
But I had to do something...
Bandages! I could at least prepare bandages and soak them in witch hazel, lavender and chamomile oils. They could stop blood poisoning and ease away some of the pain. If only there was ice. But at this time of year, and in this kind of heat, even the underground cellars that stored ice would now be empty.
“What now, Mistress?” Ramus eventually asked.
“Now I prepare bandages for the burn victims. I will need your help,” I answered with more determination than I felt.
Both men’s mouths dropped open. When they found words they were of the worst variety. Thankfully, I was used to hearing such foul language, so it did not bother me. I had been known to utter such expletives at times myself.
“What’ll you do with those?” they cried in unison when the swearing had abated.
I laughed and patted both men on the arm. Their exaggerated shock and horror had broken through my helpless stupor. Now I could act!
“Do not seem so shocked. I know a little about the healing arts. And it might do some good. I have to do something!”
“How do you plan to use these bandages?” Janus asked carefully, suddenly realising I was deadly serious.
I shrugged. “I... I will try to set up a place safely away from the fire where I can help those who are injured. Out on Campus Martius possibly. But first I must get the bandages prepared. I would normally want to reduce the heat to the burns, but any water there is will be going on the fire, and it will hardly be clean. Better to wrap the burns and stop them from putrefying.”
“What do you know of any of this?” Janus demanded a little too aggressively for a slave speaking to his mistress.
I tipped my head to the side and lifted a brow. It was enough to have him deflating in apology. Only then did I answer him.
“Ariaratus has taught me a little of his healing arts.”
The guards exchanged looks. I could tell they did not believe me. But I was not about to argue. It seemed everyone wanted to argue with me about one thing or another. It was exhausting. By far the best way to deal with it all was to ignore it and just get on with what I needed to do.
Chapter Six
ACCALIA
When I returned to my uncle’s domus everything was just as I had left it. No one seemed in the least concerned about what was going on down in the valley. It was as if the people within believed they dwelled in a different world from that of the people below. And maybe they did. Yet we were all people, no matter which world we occupied.
Disgusted, I hastened to my quarters where I knew Minerva would be waiting. Sure enough, my overweight and sweaty nurse-turned-handmaiden was busying herself with some unnecessary mending. I did not do enough to require my clothes to be mended!
“Minerva, I want you to find me as many old garments as you can. Clean, old garments. I am making bandages for burn victims,” I told her hurriedly, going to my chest to find my store of medicines.
“I can’t do that, Mistress. They won’t give me things like that. Not when they find out what you’re going to do with them,” Minerva argued.
“They will if I insist. I will pay for them if necessary. Now go! There is no time to waste. People are in dire straits down there. I have to do all I can for them.”
Minerva looked about to argue further, but I turned away, dismissing her. I heard her grumbling under her breath as she waddled away.
For the next few hours as the temperature rose, I cut up old clothing into bandages and soaked them in a watery herbal solution that would go a small way toward alleviating the immediate pain of the burns and protect the wounds from the dirt, at least for a while. Every moment I worked, I felt the insignificance of my tasks. It was not enough. I was not going to be able to do nearly enough!
It was well past the midday meal by the time I had all the damp bandages packed into waterproof skins and stored in a pack I could carry on my back. Although I could use help, I wasn’t prepared to put my slaves in danger. This was likely a fool’s errand that might lose me my life. I would not force others to join me in death.
Without a word, I headed for the front door, dressed in my boy’s clothes and without my wig. My hair had started to grow longer over the months since Pater returned, but it was still short enough for me to pass as a boy. What I didn’t bother with was the binding for my breasts. I knew I would be struggling to breathe in the smoky air I was going into, I did not need to add further restrictions to my breathing. And no one would notice if a boy had breasts when the world was ablaze around them.
I made it as far as the front door before Ramus and Janus came running from the back of the house.
“You can’t go out alone!” Ramus said gruffly, his aging face seeming more lined than it had been earlier in the day.
“I have to. I will not risk anyone else’s life. Stay here and... and... oh, I do not know. Do whatever you occupy your days with when I do not need you!”
My brain had again decided to stop functioning as it should. It seemed to have only one focus now. Get down to where people needed me!
“The Master will have us put to death if we let you go out alone,” Ramus growled.
I could see he was torn. He wanted to keep me here, safe. But he could not force his will on me.
“I am giving you a direct order,” I snapped back, opening the door. “Stay here! Who knows, if this fire gets any worse it might mean evacuating the domu
s. You will be needed for that.”
Ramus looked at Janus. They were of a height, and though in their middle years, both were still physically fit. If they wanted to stop me leaving they could.
As one they moved up on either side of me. Panic had me running a few steps out the door before I realised they were not trying to stop me. They were joining me.
“I said...” I began, already panting a little. The heat was unbearable, and the air was thick with smoke and the stench of burning.
“We’re gettin’ a bit deaf in our old age. Didn’t hear you. Where’re we goin’?” Ramus spoke over me tersely.
I shook my head and gave in. He was right. If anything happened to me, and Pater found out they let me go, he’d likely have them put to death. My actions could kill them either way.
“I’m not sure. Down as close to the fire as I can get. I’ll work out the rest when I get there.”
Even to my own ears my words sounded foolish. I was walking into the path of a fire with no plan beyond bandaging a few burns. Was I suicidal or did I think I was immortal?
No, I was neither. I just had to do something—anything—to help! And it looked like I was taking two men with me. Possibly to their deaths. Gods, I was a stupid, stubborn and inconsiderate woman! But even knowing that, I could not bring myself to stop.
The street leading down off Palatine Hill was remarkably empty. It was the middle of the day, and the heat was searing, so it made sense that those few patricians who remained in the city would be inside napping.
Why weren’t the frightened homeless making their way to the safety of the hill? Was this part of Rome so sacrosanct that even in the direst circumstances the plebs would not think to invade it? Maybe they too saw it as another world from their own.
These questions, like so many others, flew through my head as I strode quickly toward the flames. By the time we reached the bottom of the hill it was clear what was happening. The people were running along the narrow streets, away from the fire raging to the west of them. I saw blackened, terrified faces and burned clothing hanging off filthy bodies. I saw mothers carrying screaming infants, men barging past them in their haste to escape at all costs. I saw the aged slowing down the progress of those who half-carried them along. It was utter mayhem.
