take mydaily ride with Ocelus and, if we no longer make sure we leap atleast one ditch or hedge every single ride, both of us are contentto ignore that fact. Still, we manage to do this at least everyother ride. And I had a set of stakes set up in the garden of thevilla, and even now, every day without fail, you can find mestanding at one of them, with a wooden sword in my hand, using thegrip taught to me by Aulus Vinicius forty-two years ago, whackingaway just like the rawest tiro. For a brief period of time,I actually enlisted, or forced, depending on who you ask, my entirehousehold staff, all ten of the males, in an attempt to teach themthe rudimentary procedures that a man needs to handle a sword. Justin the event that there was an uprising of Gauls, for example, butfor the space of a day or two it looked like I would have aminiature version of the Spartacus revolt on my hands, so Irelented. Instead, I confined my exercises to just me, stillconcentrating on the proper forms, placing my feet correctly andtwisting my hips as I made the perfect first position thrust. Onfestival days in particular, I am quite the popular figure, mypresence demanded by the other veterans, marching at their headthrough the streets of the town, so that for a few, brief momentsmore, we can pretend that we are not old men with bent backs andtoothless maws, but still young and vigorous and ready to fight forRome. It is when I suddenly recognized that these were the momentsI was living for, looking forward to as a way to recapturesomething that is inevitably lost to those of us lucky to last thislong, that I decided it was time. Time to begin this tale of mine;time to put Diocles through an ordeal that has now lasted severalmonths. But, despite my lack of education, although I am not trulyconsidered to be an equestrian by those men born into my class, Irecognized that I have lived, and witnessed somethingextraordinary. I, Titus Pullus, was present and witnessed eventsand acts that, I am sure, will be remembered for generations tocome. Who knows? Perhaps those things that the Legions of Rome haveaccomplished, starting with a little-known Praetor named GaiusJulius Caesar in Hispania, will become so noteworthy, and so wellknown that they live forever. If that happens, then I want to stakemy claim, to make my participation known, in all these events thatpeople will talk about for as long as there are men to gathertogether and trade stories. But again, as I said when I began thistale, when Diocles had less gray hairs and I did not tire aseasily, I do not do so just for myself, although I would not beTitus Pullus if I did not claim my fair share, but for all of mycomrades, those I knew and those I never met, who served as Rome'smessage to the world that there is a better way, a way of truth, oflight, of order. Make no mistake; I am acutely aware that it is menlike Gaius Julius Caesar whose name will, I fervently believe,travel through the ages and be rightly known for all that heaccomplished. But I ask you, gentle reader, would Caesar have beenCaesar without us?
Now, I have told my tale, and said all Ihave to say. There is nothing left; either of my story, or in me. Iam now an empty vessel, and I have poured my story out of my soul,through Diocles, my scribe, my friend. I hope that, at the veryleast, you, gentle reader, come away from my story with a differentunderstanding of all those events that are directly responsible forthe world in which you live today. If I have achieved at leastthat, then I feel that I have fulfilled my destiny, and havesatisfied the vow, the very last vow I made to the gods, to tellthe absolute, unvarnished truth.
I am Titus Pullus, and these are my words. Ihave finished my task, and I am now ready for whatever comes next.It is my most fervent hope that I last long enough for Gaius andhis family to fulfill that promise I made to them, to come andvisit. Before I step into Charon's Boat, I want to gaze on mynephew and adopted heir, but I do not think Gaius would be thatupset if I confessed that it is young Titus that I want to see themost. For what is a man who leaves nothing behind, no matter whathe accomplishes in his life? Now, I will rest. My hope is that Ihave fulfilled this last task in a manner that is worthy of theLegions of Rome. For, at the end of it all, no matter what otherhonors and titles I have earned, I am and always will be first andforemost, Titus Pullus, Legionary of Rome.
(Diocles' note: Exactly two months to theday after my master and friend dictated the end of this story, hedid not come down for breakfast. At first, I was not alarmed; hehad started a habit of rising later than the rest of the household.But finally, when it was long after even his latest time forrising, I went up to his room. Still, I was not unduly alarmed,thinking that he had just had a particularly hard night. That meantthat I was unprepared for what I found. Sometime, in the watches ofthe night, Titus Pullus breathed his last breaths, and took thatride in Charon's Boat. Frankly, I do not know whether or not hewould be happy to know that he died peacefully in his sleep, but Ifor one am very thankful. As violent as his life was, my masterearned the right to pass into the shades as peacefully as any manwho ever walked this Earth. His expression was one of peacefulslumber, and my hope is that he is now with his loved ones, as hedeserves. I cannot make any comment about whether or not Gisela orMiriam are by his side; if there is true justice, they will
