Caligula

Rufus gave him a rambling answer, then paused. 'Cupido — ?'

'No business yet,' the freedman interrupted. 'I have had a trying morning and it would please me to talk to you awhile, before we approach what I am sure are serious matters. Let us stroll in this direction, away from the river. It smells so much at this time of the day, don't you think?'

Rufus noticed there were few people in sight, and he realized that Narcissus had chosen the time and the place of their meeting with care. Most citizens, if they could, spent the time between the sixth and the seventh hours dining with their families. Only a dozen or so slaves were still at work clearing up offal left by traders from the morning meat market.

Their way led them behind the temple and into the shadow of the huge carved pillars flanking the entrance to the Circus Maximus. Narcissus walked steadily towards the gaudily uniformed gate guards, but Rufus hesitated, wary of their blank faces and nailed cudgels.

'Do not fear, I am known here.' The Greek took Rufus by the shoulder and steered him between the two men.

The panorama that greeted Rufus made him gasp. He was a veteran of the arena now, and had been in many stadiums, but the Maximus lived up to its name. It was vast, almost three times larger than any other in the Empire. A racetrack as wide as a triumphal avenue disappeared into the middle distance, its surface shimmering in the heat of the noonday sun, then curved to return behind a long row of pillars to where he stood. Rows of seats rose like cliffs on either side of the track. It was said that 150,000 people often packed the stands for the chariot races and other great spectacles and for a moment he was back in the centre of the Taurus with the waves of sound crashing around him. His heart fluttered in his chest and he felt a thrill of fear before Narcissus's calm voice returned him to the present.

'Come, we will sit in the shade.' He led Rufus to a spot opposite the starting gates where a dozen rows of benches provided a relatively cool resting place under an awning made of heavy sailcloth.

'Now,' he said. 'You had something to ask of me?'

Rufus faltered. What right did he, a slave, have to be demanding favours of a man like Narcissus? He looked into the steady blue eyes and realized the Greek was reading his thoughts.

'Cupido,' he blurted eventually. 'Cupido was taken by the Emperor's guards.'

Narcissus shook his head sadly. 'Yes. It was foolish to try the Emperor's patience in such a blatant manner. It could have been fatal.'

Could? Rufus registered the word and allowed himself to hope. 'He was — is — my friend. I was certain you would know his fate. I would always be in your debt…' The final sentence dropped into the silence like a boulder into a deep pool and Rufus knew he had taken a step into a dangerous unknown. For an instant he wished he could take the words back. But a word spoken aloud can never be retrieved. The gleam in Narcissus's eyes was the look of a hunter who has just snared his prey or a fisherman who has set his hook. But the Greek was in no hurry.

'It is possible I have this information, or can discover it, but first I must decide whether it is in my interest to reveal it. A secret can be a thing of great value; it can also be a thing of great danger. Is Rufus, the animal trainer, the type of young man who can be trusted with secrets?'

He didn't give Rufus a chance to reply. 'When last we met our conversation was interrupted. We have more time now. Tell me about yourself. That charm, for instance. The workmanship is quite fine if I am any judge. Before I won my freedom no slave was given leave to own personal goods. These are enlightened days indeed.'

Rufus reached a hand to the thing at his throat. Fine? He had never thought of it as fine. Just a yellowing lion's tooth set in a metal which might have been silver, but probably was not. He found himself telling Narcissus how it had been given to him by the captain of the ship that brought him across the Mare Internum from Carthage.

'They had four lions in cages on the deck. One of them, a cub, was dying. It would not eat and it lay in the cage while its brothers played around it. They were going to throw it overboard, but I begged for the chance to try to save it.'

The cub had reminded him of himself, homesick and fearful, sailing headlong into an uncertain future over which he had no control.

'I chewed its meat for it,' he explained, his gorge rising at the memory of the rancid leftover he had forced between his teeth. 'It grew strong and the captain was grateful, because the cub was worth money. He gave me the charm, said it was good luck and hoped it would bring me good fortune.'

'And has it?'

'The next day, in the slave market, a young man from Syracuse standing with the house slaves pulled me from the line of farm workers where the overseer had placed me, and told me I was a kitchen boy. If I had stayed in the first line I would be dead by now. So, yes, you could say I have been fortunate.'

Narcissus nodded, as if this confirmed something. 'So, you have a talent and the gods favour you. That is a rare combination, and one I might be able to put to use.' He paused, considering his next words.

'Your friend Cupido was placed in the torture cells for two days. When he was taken before the Emperor all who saw him believed he was a dead man, but Gaius Caligula's moods are as changeable as the four winds. Of all the virtues, he values courage most. The gladiator's must have impressed the Emperor considerably. He is now an honoured member of Caligula's personal bodyguard.'

Rufus didn't know whether to cry out with joy for Cupido's survival or shout his disbelief. Cupido in the Praetorian Guard? Cupido protecting the man he despised more than any other? He remembered the proud figure in the golden mask standing over the body of Menander and staring his defiance at the tyrant in the stands. How could it be? He looked up to find the Greek studying him.

'Sometimes the truth is more difficult to accept than the lie. You would have preferred it if he was dead?'

'No.'

'Then accept this as the will of the gods. I have found their designs are not always straightforward. Perhaps he has been placed there for a higher purpose. It is also possible the Emperor is simply toying with him. It would not be the first time.'

'What must I do? Will I be able to see him?'

Narcissus smiled his enigmatic smile. 'Do? You must do what your friend has done. Trust in the gods.'

XII

They came for him three weeks later, two very ordinary young men, their blandness effective as any cloak of anonymity. Fronto met them by the main gate, and Rufus could see their presence disturbed the animal trader. This was no harmless visit by forgotten creditors or circus promoters demanding compensation for a toothless carnivore.

After many minutes Fronto shook his head, not in defiance, but in defeat, and accepted a scroll from the taller of the two. He walked slowly to where Rufus stood.

The trader took a deep breath. 'I have sold you to the Emperor.'

Rufus thought he had misheard. Then the true meaning of the words burned their way into his brain. He looked around for somewhere to flee, but Fronto's calloused hands settled firmly on his shoulders.

'Courage, Rufus. It is not what you think. They want you to work with his animals. Apparently he has something new, something special, and these men, his purchasers, were told about you. I'm sorry,' he said, 'truly sorry. I told them I was about to free you. I told them you were indispensable. I fought them until I saw my death in their faces. They have the Emperor's authority. I should have freed you when I had the opportunity, but I am a foolish old man. I thought you would leave me and I didn't want that to happen. Now I've lost you anyway.'

Rufus swayed on his feet, struggling to comprehend what was happening to him. This was his life: this place, the animals he cared for, the people who had become his friends. Fronto. He had learned so much and was on the brink of learning so much more. Now he was about to lose it all. The freedom the animal trader had promised him. Gone. All gone.

He shuddered — suddenly it was difficult to breathe. For a moment he felt himself close to breakdown, the tears sharp behind his eyes. Then some inner strength he didn't know existed took over. He looked into Fronto's