Other Alexander, The by Levkoff Andrew

Author:Levkoff, Andrew [Levkoff, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical
Goodreads: 13188564
Publisher: Andrew Levkoff
Published: 2011-09-08T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter XIX

76 BCE - Summer, Rome

Year of the consulship of

Gnaeus Octavius and Gaius Scribonius Curio

We were welcomed by a crowd from the household, mostly those who knew members of the brigade and were happy to see them return home safely. Among them were Sabina and Livia, stiffly holding hands. Well then, even without the direct order from Crassus, there’d be no putting this off. Tertulla was at the head of the little cheering throng and the moment Crassus was off his horse she was in his arms. Suddenly, she tilted her head back, having got a good whiff of him, pushed him to arms’ length and saw the state of him in the growing light: charred, blackened and bruised. To our horror but his delight she thumped his chest with her fist, raising a small cloud of dust and ash. Sabina made to accompany him but he put up his hand.

“There are others,” he said, nodding at me, “that are more in need of your skills. When you are finished with Alexander, you may attend me in my quarters.” They began walking to the house, at which point Tertulla immediately noticed his limp. She punched him again. “Enough,” he cried, raising his index finger like a beaten gladiator. “Mercy!”

•••

Ludovicus leapt from his mount and raced to meet his lover and also mine, throwing his arm around the healer and smiling broadly at her daughter. Livia would have run to me, but her mother’s grip was firm. It would be up to me, then, to go to them.

“Salve Sabina, Salve Livia.”

“I have been waiting for you ...” Sabina said coolly.

“As have I,” Livia said, her voice one part anticipation, two parts defiance. Ah, the politics of love: when affection is wielded like a club to gain independence from a disapproving parent.

“...for almost three months,” Sabina finished.

Ludovicus, never one to fret over subtext, barreled along excitedly. “You should have seen our lad here!” he said, clapping me on the back. “He was Mercury himself. Sped into that flaming apartment house as if it was two-for-one day at the brothel. Your pardon, of course. I didn’t mean ...”

“Thank you, Ludovicus. You neglect to mention that I was following dominus.”

“Well, yes of course, a stunning bit of work by the master as well. You’ll both owe Vulcan a couple of goats for letting you out of that one!”

“Why didn’t anyone else try to help?” Livia asked hotly.

“Orders, miss, orders.”

Livia turned to me. “You disobeyed a direct order from dominus?” she asked as if running into a burning building held the lesser risk.

“Not so much disobeyed as ducked under.”

“You might have been killed. He might kill you yet!”

“Save me the trouble,” Sabina said, not quite under her breath.

“Mother!”

“Did you hear they pulled an old man from the insula?” Ludovicus asked. “By Vesta’s flaming toenails, he’d’ve burned to a cinder for sure, if not for those two.”

“Sweetheart,” Sabina said gently. “You’re not helping. Why not see to the horses and I’ll find you later?”

Before he could either answer or leave, Tessa ran up to us.

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