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speaking of. As it is, there s not much chance of that.
 I haven t seen Lucius or Decimus or Gaius. Where have they all gone?
 I was going to ask if you d seen them. They were borne away by Roman
soldiers.
 I feel as if I am the only young man here!
 You are. Good news for him.  The Romans ride through and draft. It is by
order of Silvanus.
 He must be desperate. He is waging war on four fronts! Spain, Britannia,
Germania, Macedonia.
 And now Britannia and Germania have become allies. None of Rome saw
that coming.
 Are you serious? Britannia and Germania? Sworn enemies of Eurasia?
 When Rome stepped up its attacks on Germania, the two nations allied and
now they fight together. It is hurting the Roman advance. Words of many
bloody battles  sometimes more defeats than victories  ride up with the
IN THE NAME OF ROME 61
traders. Since we ve heard the same story more than once from different traders,
we can say with certainty they aren t fabricated for weak advertisement.
He caught several hellos from men and women on the street.
They sat down beside a market and spoke for several hours. He did not grow
tired, and prayed she did not. As dinner neared, his stomach whined, and he said
he had to go. As he stood, he asked,  What are you doing tomorrow? Please say
nothing.
 There is a party at Collina s.
 A party?
 Not for you. It is only for women.
He smiled.  I never like those parties anyway.
 Some boys do.
 Those boys, I will never understand.
 Good-bye for now.
 So I won t see you tomorrow?
 Oh, who knows? she asked.  Maybe I ll look you up.
He said good-bye and walked for home, basking in the falling sun, so free. His
heart and soul were liberated. Out of sight, he knelt down on the ground,
scooped dirt in his hands, and smelt it with all his being. The scent of the Roman
soil ran through him, and setting it down, he wiped his hands clean and
continued home.
Ï%Ï%
Manias had nothing to do the next day. His father went back to work plowing,
mother weaving. Manias helped out in the field, proving more effective than his
own father. Lots had changed. The Roman officer had made him fit enough to
power-march twenty miles in a day. Such lousy work amongst the fields was
nothing more than child s play. He offered to help, but his father told him how
much Servius wanted to spend time with him. Manias nodded and found
Servius. Servius wanted to play a game, and rushed into the woods. Manias
grabbed some olives and downed them quickly. He hadn t eaten olives forever,
and had probably gained a pound off them already. Servius returned with several
sticks, tossed them to the ground, grabbed two, kept one and handed the other to
his brother.
 Do you remember how to play? Servius asked.
Manias nodded.  Troy, right? We re playing Troy?
 Did you fight in any battles, Manias?
 Many battles.
 Okay. Let s fight one of your battles.
His stomach knotted.  Why don t we just stick to Troy? All my battles were
chicken-scratch compared to Troy. Troy is better.
 Everyone plays Troy. Do you want to be the barbarians or should I?
IN THE NAME OF ROME 62
 They aren t barbarians& 
His brother paused.  Not barbarians?
 Never mind. I will be the Macedonians. You can be the Romans.
 Okay! He stepped back several feet.  What is it that the Roman leaders say
when they go into battle?
 A lot of things. Lots of swearing.
 No. A chant or something.  For Rome! or something like that.
 I ve heard that one, but the captain of my army, Captain Kaeso, always said,
 Strength and Honor! 
 His name is Kaeso? Did he get to return home, too?
Elysium.  Yes. He got to go home.
Servius hollered,  Strength and honor! His voice sapped through the trees
and he raised his stick and charged. Manias blocked and struck, going slow
enough for his brother to block him. Manias played dumb and let Servius slice
him in the side. He let out a shout as if it really hurt and fell to his knees, and-
The world became dark and fuzzy, the sounds drowned out. He heard
screaming, crying, shouting. He saw his friends falling all around him, blood
seeping out of their torn flesh, sprinkling the armor. He saw the Romans
throwing themselves against the enemy, heard the slashing of flesh and the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]