The Pillars of Rome by David Donachie
Author:David Donachie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Globe Pequot
Published: 2023-08-14T00:00:00+00:00
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Fulmina was getting older and was finding it harder and harder to control Aquila; not, it has to be said, that she had ever tried very hard, for the gods had spoken through her dreams, as well as the musings of the old soothsayer Drisia. A simple soul, Fulmina believed that fate was pre-destined, hers as well as that of the boy, so the gods would take care of Aquila without her going out of her way to chastise him. And really, the things he got up to were those that all youngsters of his age indulged in, just more so. Now ten summers old he was taller than his peers by a good head, stronger by far and leagues-away the most daring. He climbed trees faster, swam quicker and fought better without ever being a thug. Other mothers, who needed their sons to help in the fields were given to complaining heartily when Aquila, freed from such labour by Daboâs deliveries of household necessities, turned up and tempted them off to play in the woods.
Many days he was left to his own devices, which did not please him much. It was no fun following wild boar tracks alone; it could be tedious laying still on your belly for hours watching the weasels come and go from their burrows, often with a dead rabbit or bird in their mouths. Besides, there was greater danger in being alone; boar with young could kill if provoked; you had to listen out too for wolves in winter, though the bears were rarely seen now. They had long since retired from this cultivated part of the world and moved into the forests, higher up the mountains that stood tall and majestic to the east. The occasional big cat would come hunting in the lowlands and they were the most dangerous of all.
Sometimes Aquila would sit up a tree at the edge of the wood and look towards the distant mountains, which ran north and south like a great barrier. The eagles, his namesakes, nested there, ranging far and wide on the hot air currents in search of food. Occasionally one would come into view and he would sigh, thinking that it must be wonderful to be able to fly and to look down on the world from such a height. Like a god really. Perhaps those birds could comprehend the size of the world; he could not, never having been more than half a league from the hut he called home.
He was often lonely, but days spent in the woods gave him an affinity with nature, even if he did not quite know what to call the plants and trees. He knew the birds and the animals for they were a constant subject of discussion and pursuit amongst the locals. Birds you could eat, and the same applied to some animals and these, notwithstanding the fact that the woods were private property, provided most of the meat in the poorer familiesâ diet. Occasional boar hunts were organised as winter approached, but that was an event for men, not boys.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
Classics | Fantasy |
Men's Adventure | Mystery, Thriller & Suspense |
Romance | Science Fiction |
Sea Adventures | Short Stories |
War & Military | Women's Adventure |
The Book of Dreams (Saxon Series) by Severin Tim(33225)
Who'd Have Thought by G Benson(16404)
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han(14696)
Bull's Eye Sniper Chronicles Collection (The Second Cycle of the Betrayed Series) by McCray Carolyn(12219)
Firetrap: The Soul Scorchers MC (The Scorched Souls Serial-series Book 1) by Riley C.L(11035)
Warriors (9781101621189) by Young Tom(10646)
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros(9452)
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson(9364)
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher(8716)
The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty(8696)
Red Rising by Pierce Brown(8502)
The Thirst by Nesbo Jo(6742)
Storm and Silence by Robert Thier(6669)
Shadows Of The Apt [01] - Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky(6576)
Pandemic (The Extinction Files Book 1) by A.G. Riddle(6389)
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty(6047)
Assassin’s Fate by Robin Hobb(6045)
The Demon Crown: A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins(5692)
The Fall of Dragons by Miles Cameron(5480)
