The Leopard Vanguard (Leopard King Saga Book 1) by Uner T.A

Author:Uner, T.A. [Uner, T.A.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: T.A. Uner
Published: 2013-08-26T16:00:00+00:00

{II}

The next morning Norbanus awoke in his bed feeling refreshed. Despite the setback of Paullus Gabinius’s disappearance he was confident Scorpio understood the precariousness of the situation if he failed again. After dressing himself one of his slaves brought him his breakfast. The smell of freshly baked bread drifted across his nostrils and made his mouth water.

Norbanus dipped his bread in olive oil while a slave poured him a cup of water; he picked out a shiny green apple, and took a bite of it. It tasted sour—just the way he liked. A few moments later another one of his slaves, an elderly woman named Marta, approached him.

“Tribune, there’s a man here to see you.”

Norbanus looked up from his breakfast and shot the old woman an annoyed look.

“Tell him to come back later; as you can see I’m eating.” He turned his attention back to his meal.

The old woman’s lined face appeared disconcerted. She stared at him while her grey eyes shifted back and forth in their sockets. Norbanus paused eating and looked up at her again. “Now what is wrong, Marta?”

“Tribune Norbanus, the man here to see you is Senator Remus.”

Norbanus grumbled. What could he want? He wondered as various thoughts flooded his mind. Perhaps Remus was here to discuss the dinner invitation.

“Kindly ask the Senator if he would like to join me for breakfast, Marta.” The old woman nodded and shuffled off. A few moments later the almond-colored eyes of Senator Remus were peering at Norbanus from the doorway across from the breakfast table. “So good of you to honor my residence with your visit Senator, would you care to dine with me? My slaves are quite apt at preparing scrumptious meals.” One of the slaves, an olive-skinned Persian girl with long, braided hair offered the Senator wine but Remus waived the flagon away and seated himself.

“I didn’t come here to waste time eating your food, Norbanus. We have important matters to discuss.”

Norbanus picked a large black olive from a small plate and chewed on it thoughtfully before sipping his water. “I received the dinner invitation your dear wife sent me. Of course, I would be honored to attend, and spend time in the company of your lovely daughter Eliana.”

Senator Remus sighed impatiently. “I didn’t come here to talk about that either Norbanus; I wanted to ask you about Camus Scorpio.”

Norbanus paused eating and ordered the remaining slaves to leave the room. “What about Scorpio?”

“My daughter asked me about his activities the other day. It appears she’s spoken to one of the merchants in the Forum. She wanted me to see what I could do to curb Scorpio’s criminal activities.”

Norbanus smiled. “And now you have come here to ask me to do your bidding…am I correct?”

“I’ve already spoken to the Prefect of the urban cohorts. But things would run more smoothly if you were to keep your dog, Scorpio, under a tighter leash.”

“Camus Scorpio is more of a desert scorpion, my dear Senator. A dog is a loyal creature, while a scorpion—an unpredictable wretch—stings its victim, and waits for it to die.

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