Gallia Invicta

himself to the food.

“Everyone here is well acquainted I think,” Fronto announced, “apart from Titus Annius Milo over there, and the excellent and very dangerous Cestus who met you outside.”

Fronto noted Caesar’s expression and smiled.

“Cestus is now in charge of the household’s ‘guard’ if you wish to call it that. He’s a veteran of seventeen bouts in the arena, recipient of the rudis and a man to stay on the good side of.”

The small man nodded at Caesar, who returned the gesture, frowning.

“Milo I remember, however” the general said, straightening again. “A tribune of the plebs last year?”

The man bowed curtly.

“Very well.” Fronto sat up. “Everyone in the room either has good reason to hate Clodius, or is bound by ties to those who do. For the first time in months, we are all in Rome and so is he. In our absence, he’s had free reign in the city causing murder and mayhem. The time had come to deal with him. We simply can’t leave a snake like that in a position to do further harm.”

There was a general murmur of agreement around them, but Caesar rubbed his brow and leaned forward.

“I have the feeling you are suggesting direct action and even rather illegal violence, Fronto?”

Their host smiled a feral grin and leaned back.

“You are damn right I’m suggesting illegal violence. If I could have thought of a way to get past his constant array of guards, I’d have kicked the man to death myself before now.”

Caesar shook his head.

“Don’t think in such narrow terms, Fronto. This is too complex an issue to lunge out like a thug and strike him down. That is Clodius’ way, not that of reasonable, intelligent men.”

Fronto leaned forward himself, his face filling with angry colour.

“That is the opinion of a man who has yet to feel the full unpleasantness of Clodius. Wait until your little Octavia comes home one afternoon with a broken face, or that pretty niece of yours, and then tell me it’s too complex an issue.”

The general shook his head.

“I feel for your family, Marcus, but that is still not the way.”

He turned to Milo.

“If I am not mistaken, you are bound to the great Pompey?”

Milo nodded.

“And yet you are here, plotting without him?”

The man shrugged.

“If questioned, I will deny ever visiting this house, but I see no conflict in my behaviour. Pompey charged me with building him a force of very loyal men with low expectations. This I have done and, since Pompey has made no secret of his distaste for Clodius, this could even be seen as a meeting of like minds. As such, I am prompted to enquire as to why the great Pompey himself was not invited to this clandestine meeting.”

He smiled.

“Or even the noble Crassus’ father?”

Crassus shrugged.

“It is well for those in such high position to be seen to be uninvolved with such things. I was in two minds as to whether to attend myself as, I believe, was Governor Caesar here.”

“Perhaps. Or perhaps none of you feel comfortable placing your trust in them? Regardless, the fact remains that, yes I am bound to Pompey and yes, I am here. I will not, however, employ my men in any action without the authorisation of my patron. It would be unthinkable to do so, I’m sure you’ll agree.”

Fronto swept his hands through the air angrily.

“This waffling is getting us nowhere. Clodius is a plague that needs to be dealt with. I’m sure some of you at least agree with this? Cicero?”

The young officer opened his mouth to speak, but Caesar turned to him.

“Yes, I would be interested to hear the opinion of the noble Cicero, given that he has such a responsible commission in my army and yet his brother, from what I hear, denounces me and my works daily in the senate, supported and urged on by those poisonous dogs Cato and Ahenobarbus.”

He narrowed his eyes at Cicero.

“It has taken me three years to completely pacify Gaul. That is a drop in the ocean of time compared to what it took Rome’s greatest generals to pacify Africa or Greece, and yet now the senate of Rome call me names and consider my campaign a failure and a waste; they say that I am unable to keep the place down. Why? Because of Cicero, Cato and Ahenobarbus. Clodius blocks my moves in the senate by the exercise of subtle bribery and corruption, and therefore he is my enemy. What should I make, then, of those who oppose me openly?”

Cicero rounded on him.

“My brother does not attack you, Caesar. He is a just and good man and attacks laws and acts that he deems unworthy of the republic, whatever their origin. Do not feel singled out.”

Milo laughed.

“I fear you are being a little blinkered by your brotherly love, my friend. Cicero attacks Caesar because he is an easy target at the moment and your brother is still trying to ingratiate himself to the senate after his exile. He is doing nothing more than sacrificing one ally to make several others.”

The conversation stopped as everyone was aware of a low growling noise. All eyes turned to Fronto.

“This is like being at a meeting of the bloody senate! Everyone talking about their own agendas, no one sticking to the matter at hand. Just squabbling like chickens. The point of this whole meeting was Clodius! What are we going to do about the little shit head?”

“If you’ll pardon me throwing in my lot”

All heads turned again to face Cestus.

“You are faced with two options. Either you find a way to put an end to Clodius, and this is my speciality, or you work on a method to remove his power. It seems to me that this is a disparate group. Half of us are committed to, and suitable for, one path and the other half to and for the other. The question is which way to go?”

Caesar shook his head.

“If Clodius turns up dead in a sewer, it will merely raise ugly questions, many of which will be levelled at myself, Pompey and even you, Fronto. Careers could be ruined, exiles considered, or even prosecutions made. The solution is to make Clodius trip himself up.”

Cicero and Rufus nodded.

“The first step” the younger officer said “is to form a faction: a gathering of like-minded people, and to bring all those who waver on to our side. We need to convince my brother to abandon his attacks on Caesar in the senate. I can do this. We need to try and discourage the same with Cato and Ahenobarbus.”

He turned to Fronto.

“We need to make sure of our allegiances. The noble Crassus and the great Pompey should be drawn into the matter and, where their allegiances are shaky, they should be redirected, forcibly if necessary.”

Milo frowned.

“You seem to be edging around saying something about Pompey?”

Fronto leaned toward him.

“Look, it’s not generally known and I’m not even sure whether we should be speaking to you about it, but there is considerable, though circumstantial, evidence that Pompey has been having dealings with Clodius in secret, while condemning him publically.”

Milo shook his head and leaned back.

“I have spoken to the man myself. He would rather bed a snake than throw in his lot with Clodius. Whatever he is doing, you can be sure it is not for the benefit of your enemy.”

Caesar glared at Fronto.

“Was that really necessary? Is this the time to start levelling accusations among the people who supposedly have a mutual enemy?”

He turned to Milo and made conciliatory gestures.