Augustus- Son of Rome by Richard Foreman

Author:Richard Foreman [Foreman, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sharpe Books
Published: 2018-03-01T05:00:00+00:00

15.

Under a gibbous moon the two friends sat down and toasted their victory. Their drunkenness provided a welcome release for the pair’s frayed nerves and erratic hearts. Exhilaration had succeeded terror within the space of ten minutes. Octavius especially was edgy, shifting between nervous laughter and energy - and then sinking into moments of chilling gloom. After one such bout of silence between the two youths, Octavius suddenly retrieved his good humour and asked, “How did you learn to throw a knife like that?”

“The harder I practise, the luckier I get,” a grinning Agrippa replied.

Octavius raised a corner of his mouth in a knowing smile, yet later that night when contemplating Oppius’ tutelage of Marcus he felt a stabbing sense of jealousy, that his friend had somehow eclipsed him and was favoured by the centurion, who was supposed to be attending to him.

Envy again would hiss in his ear like a snake a few days later. Agrippa revealed how Oppius and Roscius had taken him into town. They had spent the night in the tavern - and then brothel - as a reward for the youth’s first kill. “He has lost his virginity as a soldier, now he has to as a man,” Lucius had drunkenly proposed to Roscius. The two men then pooled their funds and paid for a clean whore who specialised in first-timers. Her make-up papered over the cracks of her fading beauty, but she was coaxing and patient with the handsome youth. By the morning Agrippa had lost his shyness without losing his courteousness and the woman said that he should come again, which he did.

Yet more than envy, Octavius experienced an overwhelming sense of gratitude and love in regards to his friend. They shared an uncommon and unspoken sense of trust and respect. They would share in each other’s successes - and be a pillar of support for the misfortunes. If they argued, they could forgive as well. Their interests differed, but not their values or sense of humour. “To have a friend is to be one,” Cleanthes had once expressed, and Octavius was now fortunate enough to understand what he meant by it.

Oppius headed up the group of cavalry, which arrived a couple of hours after the pirate ship had long since been swallowed into the night. He first questioned the two youths as to the size of the vessel and its crew compliment. The officer then sent orders back for a couple of warships to disembark and patrol the waters in the direction to where the vessel was heading.

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