Even I recalled the series of murders that had set Nero in his house on the Palatine, including that of his adoptive father, his stepbrother, his first wife, and his own mother.
“Nero has the legions,” I pointed out. “They’d quickly put down a rebellion.”
“You are correct,” Marcianus replied. “Romans today have been raised to despise and distrust kings. The man and his supporters would be caught and executed. But much bloodshed might occur along the way.”
Which was why I stayed far from politics. Gladiatorial games were not as bloodthirsty as the tales I’d heard of the civil wars in Rome less than a hundred years ago. Senators had broken benches in the senate house and beaten each other to death with their boards. Even the lauded Augustus had posted lists of prominent men who were to be executed, all their property handed to him. Anyone helping these men flee would suffer the same fate. Augustus’s adoptive father, Julius, had been stabbed to death by many hands, which had launched a long and blood-filled war.
The streets of Rome were always dangerous, but they’d been doubly so when those in power had fought each other in them.
“Even if we sold the ring, how many people could read the writing on it?” I asked.
“Enough,” Marcianus said. “I can read it, and I am only a casual scholar.”
He was too modest, but I understood his concern. Someone would decipher the inscription and come up with the idiotic idea of trying to act out the ring’s prophecy.
I took another draught of wine. “We can have it melted down. The inscription will be erased then, and we’ll sell the nuggets left over.”
“Probably the best idea,” Marcianus agreed. “Though you will have to take it to a goldsmith who can’t read it and won’t be curious enough, like Cassia was, to have it translated.”
I was already tired of the thing. “I’ll throw it into the Tiber then. Waste of good gold, but better that than the streets running with blood.”
“The river might not be deep enough. Anyone seeing a glint will risk their life to dive in after it. You could always take an ocean voyage and dispose of it in the sea.” Marcianus chuckled, as though he’d made a good joke.
I observed him sourly. I’d sailed on ships to reach destinations where Aemil had taken us to participate in exhibition games. We hadn’t gone far—mostly south to Neapolis and nearby towns—but I hadn’t liked the experience.
Marcianus crossed his long legs at the ankles, settling in comfortably. “Whatever you decide to do with the ring, I advise you keep it hidden. None must know what we have discovered.”
He quaffed more wine, as though finished with the problem, but his words made me uneasy. Vibius had shown much interest in the ring, though probably because of its gold value alone. Gallus had given the ring only a cursory glance then waved it away. No one else knew I had it.
Cassia, with a worried look at the door, tucked the ring into a little bag and laid that into her box with her tablets.
Marcianus, seeming in no hurry to depart, resumed conversing with Cassia in Greek. I don’t believe they meant to keep me out of the conversation. They were probably discussing topics that were easier to speak about in that language—geometry, medicine, and who knew what.
I was sleepy from my truncated night and then walking back and forth across the city. While interest in the building project had kept me awake this morning, I was now ready to fall into oblivion. I drank wine and propped myself against the wall to keep upright.
Marcianus at last heaved himself up, thanked Cassia for the wine, thumped me lightly on the shoulder, and took himself away.
Only Marcianus could tap me like that without me coming alive and slamming him to the floor. I still instinctively took casual touches as a threat, but I made exceptions for those from Marcianus and Cassia. I had to make that exception for Nero as well, only because he could snuff out my life if I struck him away.
I followed Marcianus downstairs, said my goodbyes, bolted the door behind him, and tiredly climbed back to the apartment.
“Should I throw it into the river?” I asked Cassia when I returned. “I’ll stroll there after dinner if I can stay awake. Or we can board a ship tomorrow, if you like.”
Cassia did not respond to my feeble attempt at humor. “I agree with Marcianus that we should keep it hidden for now.” She rested her hand on the box where she’d placed it. “Tell me more about Titianus Vibius. Did you see him at the baths?”
“He’d already gone. A man there told me Vibius was proud of himself, and that he doesn’t like copulating with men.” I added the last as an afterthought, but Cassia always wanted every detail.
Cassia, true to form, jotted down what I’d said. “Keep an eye on him,” she advised. “He knows you have this ring.”
“I think he’s only worried about me usurping his place. Fears Gallus will favor me over him, but he has no need for concern. I imagine Gallus is simply curious about a gladiator who’s been trained as a builder.”
“Gallus sees much more in you than that,” Cassia said with confidence. “But a man who believes you a rival can cause trouble. Have a care.”
I had already drawn that conclusion. “I will take Vibius to a popina and pay for all his drinks. By the end of the night, he will think me his best friend.”
Cassia nodded hesitantly, as though not certain whether I was joking. “Have a care all the same.” She closed her tablet. “Perhaps we should eat now so you can sleep.”
I volunteered to step to a popina for our supper and Cassia agreed. Usually, she got in all the food, able to bargain with the vendors for the best stuff for the least amount of money, but the ring and its history had taken all her time today.
