Praetorian: Lions of Rome by S.J.A. Turney

Author:S.J.A. Turney [Turney, S.J.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: graogonzo
Published: 2019-06-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen – New Challenges

Rome, April 190 A.D.

Rufinus pulled the hood of his cloak lower over his brow in an attempt to ward off the worst of the rain, though all that really did was create a funnel down which all the collected water ran, tipping out in a waterfall directly in front of his nose, and no amount of re-jigging it seemed to make it any better. He nodded to the optio and instantly regretted the motion, since it somehow caused a rivulet of cold water to trickle through some unseen fold onto his neck. The optio saluted, apparently unconcerned by the torrential spring rain that has started at the end of their shift and seemed set in for the day, and gave the order for the men to fall out.

They had just returned from their latest civic duty, patrolling the Velabrum from the Capitol to the great Circus Maximus and imposing the rule of law upon the increasingly unstable city. During their time out there, Rufinus had rather hoped to catch sight of Severus, though he had been sadly disappointed. Septimius Severus, successful pacifier of troublesome Gaul during the Maternus war and then lauded governor of Sicilia for his achievements in doubling grain import from that island, was back in Rome. In actual fact, doubling the grain from Sicilia made very little difference and still accounted for only a fragment of that actually needed in the city, but it had still made the man popular with both the emperor and the senate and people of Rome. Now he had been granted a suffect consulship and lorded it over the city, along with his colleague the emperor, who remained locked away in some seaside estate with his mistress.

Though it shouldn’t really, it somewhat smarted that Rufinus had recently taken a career plummet from the grandeur of Prefect of the Fleet to an ordinary centurion in the Cohort, while Severus seemed to be rising to ever loftier positions, now arm in arm with Commodus himself. In truth, Rufinus suspected that this was all part of Severus’ plan, that now he was in a position to supplant Cleander in the emperor’s circle when the time came.

Still, it was irritating. Severus was busy cycling through all the gatherings of the rich and influential, making laws and being praised, while Rufinus got to break up fights, threaten hungry civilians, and stand about in the cold rain.

This morning’s patrol had been particularly vexing.

Rufinus had adopted a circuit of the Velabrum region that covered the entire area from the river to the edge of the forum and threaded snake-like back and forth across the land in between. Their duty was, as Pertinax had made clear, much a case of reminding the Roman people that there was a force of strong men in the city whose very job was to make sure that peace reigned through Rome.

Not long ago, even since Rufinus had taken on the role of centurion here, the populace had usually been as cowed in the presence of the Urban Cohorts as they were before the Praetorians.

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