Rome's Lost Son(122)

Vespasian grunted in an attempt to sound interested in the doings of Rome’s underworld but his tired mind was busy with the speech he knew that he must soon deliver and with the order and purpose of all the other speeches as explained to him by Pallas the night before.

Magnus pressed on unperturbed. ‘But, strangely, this lot didn’t make any effort at all to secure their position. After a couple of days it wasn’t safe for them to walk around after dark and then it was just a question of a couple of well-chosen murders followed by an attack very similar to what they did to us and they were forced to fuck off back whence they came.’

‘Where did they come from?’ Gaius asked.

‘Now that’s the interesting thing. They weren’t from a neighbouring area like I originally assumed; they came all the way from the eastern end of the Aventine.’

Vespasian’s mood was not improved by the start of a steady drizzle of rain. ‘What’s so interesting about that apart from the fact that Sabinus lives over there?’

Magnus looked at Vespasian as if he were a slow but amiable child. ‘Because, sir, it confirms a possibility that we were contemplating. Why would a brotherhood from the far end of the Aventine bother to try to take over one on the other side of the city on the Quirinal? It don’t make any sense unless their objective wasn’t a takeover. As was pointed out at the time: why did they attack at the precise moment that the imperial secretary and the Junior Consul were having a secret meeting? So if you or Narcissus or both of you were the real targets, the East Aventine lads must have been put up to it.’

‘Of course they were put up to it; but by whom?’ Lack of sleep made Vespasian’s remark sound terser than he had meant it to be.

Magnus looked offended. ‘Just because you’ve been up all night, or should I say, up Caenis all night, there’s no need to be sharp with me.’

‘I’m sorry, Magnus.’

‘Yeah, well. Anyway, what you may not know is that since the Palatine became the exclusive abode of the élite there are no brotherhoods there in the modern sense of the concept because there aren’t people there who need our … er … help, if you take my meaning?’

‘No poor people to terrorise, you mean?’

‘Now that ain’t fair, sir. Anyway, the residents look after the crossroads lares themselves, so the nearest places to the Palatine where you would find a brotherhood in the very real sense of the word are the Via Sacra or … ’

‘The Aventine!’

‘Precisely, just the other side of the Circus Maximus. Now I ain’t saying that it was definitely someone on the Palatine who paid the East Aventine to do it, but I imagine that those lads have quite a close relationship with their betters living on the opposite hill, at least with the more unscrupulous of them, that is.’

‘Which would be most of them. I think you may well be right, old friend. So what are you going to do about it?’

Magnus chuckled. ‘Me? Nothing. I ain’t involved with the brotherhood no more. However, as you know, my mate Tigran is now the patronus and he does listen to the advice of those older and wiser than him.’

‘And what advice did you give him?’

‘I suggested that he might see if he could catch one of the Aventine lads and persuade him to answer a few questions.’

‘That’s very good advice.’

‘I thought so too and, talking of good advice, Lucius is back there.’ Magnus indicated to the crowd of clients following them down the hill. ‘As you didn’t have a salutio this morning he hasn’t had the chance to tell you that Eusebius will send someone to inspect the Arabs today and would be honoured to have a meeting with you to discuss them; Lucius wants to know when and where.’

Vespasian thought for a few moments as the Curia came into view with scores of senators swarming up its steps, leaving crowds of clients milling around waiting for news of proceedings within. ‘Tell him I’ll come out to the Greens’ stables tomorrow; I want to make sure that they’re good enough for the team.’

Magnus rolled his eyes. ‘The Greens’ stables not good enough? As if!’

The rumble of agitated voices filled the Curia as the Senate awaited the arrival of the Junior Consul to call the meeting to order. Rumour and counter-rumour circulated on a tide of apprehension as those who had been present when Claudius had collapsed informed others of the circumstances. Confirmation of his death had not been given and all were afraid to react one way or another for fear of insulting Claudius if he still lived by talking of the succession or insulting his successor by expressing a hope that he was indeed still alive. It was therefore with great relief to all that the Consul arrived, stilling conversation, and began the process of deciding whether the day was auspicious for the business of Rome, which, two goose livers later, it was pronounced so.