Land of the Gods by Sally Prue

Author:Sally Prue
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2016-05-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Claudia was sitting on a low wall in the garden when we got back to her house. She was singing to a clay figure.

‘What are you singing to that thing for?’ I asked.

I thought that was a reasonable question, but she flared up at once.

‘It’s got more sense than some people!’ she said pointedly.

Well, I was beginning to feel hungry again, so instead of pushing her off the wall I sat down and tried to be friendly.

‘There was a man called Gratus at the baths,’ I told her. ‘A toenail would have more sense than he has. And there was a boy with him with a face like a mouldy onion, and he looked worse than Gratus. I was going to hit him, but Sabidus towed me away.’

‘That’s Clementinus,’ said Claudia. ‘You should have hit him.’

‘I will if you like,’ I said. ‘What’s wrong with him?’

Claudia hesitated.

‘He shouts things about... about me not having a brother,’ she said.

I carried on being friendly and helpful. And to a Roman, too. I should have known that was going to be a waste of time.

‘I’ll say a prayer to Sul to make your mother fruitful, if you like,’ I said. ‘How many brothers do you want?’

Claudia looked at me and suddenly her eyes were blazing.

‘Stupid filthy Celt!’ she snapped. She got up and stalked off.

I hadn’t a clue what I’d done wrong.

Flavia Victorina came out to find me a bit later on.

‘Claudia came in very upset,’ she said.

‘All I did was offer to hit Clementinus,’ I said. ‘And to say a prayer for her.’

Romans don’t light up a lot, but Flavia did smile, then.

‘What did you offer to pray for, Lucan?’

‘For some brothers for her.’

Flavia Victorina’s smile faded at once.

‘Claudia is ashamed of me,’ she said sadly. ‘I have offended the gods, somehow, and they will not give me a son.’

Well, that was total rubbish.

‘You just need healing, that’s all,’ I said. But Flavia Victorina shook her head.

‘Our gods have different ways,’ she said. ‘Now, you must come inside. My husband will be home soon. Marcus Lepidus will not be pleased if you keep him from his dinner.’

Marcus Lepidus Victor had grey hair, a scar running all the way down one cheek, and a no-nonsense manner. He was much older than his wife. He’d served in the army with Sabidus, and had been first centurion, which apparently was quite something.

He didn’t think much of me. He said that my Latin was horrible and that I ate too much. Personally, I thought it was nice of me to eat anything at all, because it was leaves again. First we had oysters and raw leaves, and then we had meat in fish sauce with cooked leaves, and then we had some sweet bread-like stuff, which was so good that it took away the taste of all the rest.

Sabidus and Marcus Lepidus talked on and on about old times. I was just falling asleep when someone said ‘Gratus,’ and that woke me up.

Marcus Lepidus had stopped looking relaxed and happy.

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