Saturnalia by Adam Alexander Haviaras
Author:Adam Alexander Haviaras
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: historical fantasy, historical fiction, Christmas stories, ancient Rome, stories of redemption, ancient history
Publisher: Eagles and Dragons Publishing
Published: 2018-11-15T00:00:00+00:00
The Caelian Hill was much louder than the Esquiline, the houses fine and tasteful, but more pressed together. The atmosphere, however, was absolutely jovial. Crowds of revellers walked about with torches or lit candles, and many a Roman man and woman bellowed a hearty âIo Saturnalia!â from afoot or from the comfort of bedecked and perfumed litters.
Songs were being sung from the heart, and drink flowed freely past everyoneâs lips as they passed from one well-meaning domus to the next.
Catus walked beside Bacchus, his mind still upon the scene they had just departed, when a great peal of laughter, the most joyful Catus had ever heard, escaped the confines of one particular domus, spreading into the street to urge others on in merriment, just for their being in proximity to such a celebration.
âWhat goes on at such parties?â Catus asked the god of wine and revelry.
âWhy they eat and drink, sing and joke, laugh and make love. There is no ill will present during Saturnalia in most of these homes,â Bacchus said, stopping before the street-front door of the great laughing house. âCome, Catus Pompilius! Letâs go in!â Bacchus said, making for the doorway.
âOh no, I couldnât, oh Bacchus. It would not be proper to go uninvited into a strangerâs domus.â
Bacchus smiled. âOh, you are not uninvited.â Then he went in, pulling Catusâ old grey toga sleeve as he went through the wall.
They found themselves in a small atrium, freshly painted in red and white with a thick green stripe midway up the wall. In the small impluvium, burning candles floated, casting a reflective light upon the ceiling.
Several guests stood about with red Samian cups in hand, drinking and talking, laughing and generally enjoying each otherâs company.
Then the great laughter that could be heard outside burst from the triclinium beyond the garden and the entire assembly roared with joy.
Catus laughed along too, unable to help himself, and Bacchus joined him, rubbing the old manâs bald head as they weaved a ghostly path through the thickening crowd of drinkers.
âI do believe I know that laugh,â Catus said, peering over and around people to catch a glimpse of the laughâs originator.
Bacchus stopped just inside the doorway to the triclinium and leaned against the wall. In the middle of that room of decent dimension, its walls painted like a forest in Elysium, there sat Julian Corbin, Catusâ own nephew, beside a woman that could only have been his wife, Viola, a smiling, dark beauty.
âJulian!â Catus cried, waving, forgetful of his own invisibility.
âListen!â Bacchus said, casting his arm over the group and giving birth to a great round of joy and mirth.
Julian was wearing the brightest, most elaborate and fickle synthesis anyone had ever seen, and the pointed pileus upon his head could have speared a gamecock were he to lean too closely to peer at it. His cheeks were absolutely rosy with wine and aglow with the good faith and wishes of every one of his guests.
Lamps burned everywhere, and smiling slaves wearing
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.
What's Done in Darkness by Kayla Perrin(25979)
Shot Through the Heart: DI Grace Fisher 2 by Isabelle Grey(18604)
Shot Through the Heart by Mercy Celeste(18497)
The Fifty Shades Trilogy & Grey by E L James(18169)
The 3rd Cycle of the Betrayed Series Collection: Extremely Controversial Historical Thrillers (Betrayed Series Boxed set) by McCray Carolyn(13622)
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson(13481)
Scorched Earth by Nick Kyme(12260)
Stepbrother Stories 2 - 21 Taboo Story Collection (Brother Sister Stepbrother Stepsister Taboo Pseudo Incest Family Virgin Creampie Pregnant Forced Pregnancy Breeding) by Roxi Harding(11987)
Drei Generationen auf dem Jakobsweg by Stein Pia(10559)
Suna by Ziefle Pia(10481)
Scythe by Neal Shusterman(9717)
International Relations from the Global South; Worlds of Difference; First Edition by Arlene B. Tickner & Karen Smith(9076)
Successful Proposal Strategies for Small Businesses: Using Knowledge Management ot Win Govenment, Private Sector, and International Contracts 3rd Edition by Robert Frey(8873)
This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay(8329)
Dirty Filthy Fix: A Fixed Trilogy Novella by Laurelin Paige(6901)
He Loves Me...KNOT by RC Boldt(6286)
How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired by Dany LaFerrière(6144)
Interdimensional Brothel by F4U(5764)
Thankful For Her by Alexa Riley(5609)