Soldier - The Spartacus Rebellion Book I by Penner Jay

Author:Penner, Jay [Penner, Jay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-03-14T00:00:00+00:00

24

ROME

Cleitus was brought in fetters before Curio. As was customary, the investigators had tortured him even before questioning. They broke a finger, pulled a nail, and beat the back of his thighs, severely bruising it.

He hobbled on one foot.

What travesty was this? He had helped Florus, but now Florus was dead by the bastard Spartacus’ hands, and somehow Cleitus was now answerable to this mess.

The Legate was in a toga, having shorn his uniform within city gates. The men had hauled Cleitus before him after Cleitus loudly protested his innocence and knowledge of the whole affair and why he must be brought before the Legate Gaius Scribonius Curio.

The Legate looked irritated at having to preside over another dispute. “Tell me your story, Cleitus. What shame has the auxiliary brought to me this time? And how is Spartacus involved again?”

Cleitus struggled to speak through his swollen lips. “No, Legate, sir. These men would not listen, but I speak the truth, sir!”

“Well, tell me then,” Curio said coolly. “And if you lie, I’ll have you tied to a horse cart and dragged out of Rome.”

“May the fires of my gods rain down upon me if I lied, Legate,” Cleitus said, displaying the best of his Greek, a language he was reasonably good in, and used it to his advantage when needed.

“How many times have I heard these phrases,” Curio said, sardonically. “Well, go on.”

Cleitus then spoke about the friction between Florus and Spartacus, which became worse after the pay incident. Curio was surprised to hear of the accusation of wage theft but did not comment. Then, Cleitus said, Florus felt slighted by the Legate letting Spartacus go unpunished for thievery. The animosity has worsened during the campaign, but Florus knew that Spartacus’ prowess and his hold on the Century made it difficult for him to get rid of the man. Finally, after the Colline gate battle, the Legate sparing Spartacus greatly humiliated the centurion, adding fuel to the fire, leading Florus to enlist Cleitus to bring Spartacus to justice.

“So Spartacus had been up to mischief, by your assessment?” Curio asked.

Cleitus nodded vigorously. “Always, sir! He murdered Durnadisso and made others lie about it. I was there when he killed my chief unprovoked!”

Curio looked surprised but said nothing.

Cleitus winced in pain and caught his breath before continuing. “Then, he spread rumors that the centurion was skimming wages. As if that was not enough, he often insinuated that the brave officer would not fight as hard as the rest of the men. He even extorted men of his unit and took part of their spoils! Finally, he ran from the battlefield and took advantage of your mercy to escape justice.”

Curio looked unconvinced. “From what I’ve seen, he fought hard for Rome. Most of his men seemed to respect him. I put Florus where he was for a reason. And it is known to us that you,” he said, pointing to Cleitus, “a man of the Bessi, would have natural hostility to the Maedi.”

Cleitus caught his breath.

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