“It did nothing but smoke,” Scaevola said. “I know how to keep a fire safe.”
His vigiles watched him with hard eyes, these men who risked their lives to keep flames from ravaging Rome. Anyone who deliberately started fires for whatever reason was loathed. Arsons were regarded as worse than murderers, which was where Scaevola had made his mistake.
Servius and his fellow praetorians stepped up to us. “We’ll take him,” he told me curtly. “You make sure your witness comes forward and tells his tale.”
Livius’s guards already blocked the end of the street to the tower, Livius standing easily among them. The shaved-headed former gladiator who bulked taller than the others gave Servius a nod.
Scaevola tried to run. He made it two steps before Regulus seized him. “Hit him again, Leonidas,” he said gleefully. “I enjoyed that.”
The vigiles and praetorians closed in on Scaevola. He fought, kicked, shouted, cursed. They dragged him away, the vigiles with vengeance in their eyes.
I wondered if Scaevola would reach wherever the praetorians were taking him, or if his own vigiles would kill him on the way, claiming he tried to escape. It might be kinder if they did. His execution would be grim.
“Why should he be so worried about killing a slave?” Regulus demanded. “Even after all this time, someone would have to prove he did it. He’d be charged the price of him, that’s all.”
“There is more to it,” Cassia said. She’d muffled herself in her cloak again, but whenever she felt the need to explain, she’d overcome her shyness. “Scaevola tried to keep Leonidas from going to that building site at all—he had him arrested for theft the night before he was to begin his job there. He knew of Leonidas’s skill in discovering crimes and worried what he’d find.”
“His skill,” Regulus scoffed. “His luck in stumbling over murders, you mean. Not a skill I’d want.”
“I think it’s exciting,” Laurentius broke in. “What adventures Leonidas must have.”
“You would find it exciting.” Regulus sent him a disparaging glance. “But I suppose this means it’s safe for him to leave the ludus.” He jerked his thumb at Laurentius.
“I don’t have to go.” Laurentius stepped closer to Regulus, promise in his voice.
Regulus, who disliked any show of sentimentality, growled. “Not sure I can take much more of you. You’re too chatty.”
Laurentius wasn’t deterred. He must have realized by now that Regulus would have turned him out of his cell days ago if he hadn’t wanted him to stay.
I caught Cassia’s gaze as Regulus pushed Laurentius along before him, muttering.
“We don’t know all of the story,” I said to her.
“No,” she agreed. “We must return to the Esquiline for that.”
I reached into her cloak’s folds and closed my hand around hers. Cassia sent me a startled glance but didn’t pull away as I led her from the lane to clearer air. Livius and his men fell into step behind us, ready once more to keep the adventurous gladiator out of trouble.
Chapter 24
Vibius who’d fetched Servius as I’d bade him, joined us. He was bubbling with questions but held them in when I frowned him to silence.
We made our way up the Quirinal and through the open Porta Collina at the top of the hill. To our left stretched the Via Salaria, which led to a long row of tombs, much like those on the Via Appia. No one was allowed burial inside the city walls, and so the wealthy of Rome erected grand sepulcra just outside for their families.
We turned to the right, following the old walls. The arches of the Aqua Marcia soared across the hill in front of us, its waters pouring into castella to quench the city’s thirst. We turned south again as we reached the aqueduct, making for the top of the Esquiline and the villas there.
Cloelius’s annoyed majordomo told us his master had recovered from his fit but was in conversation with his sister and could not be disturbed. Not even Vibius’s presence would budge him.
“At least tell Aelia I am here,” Vibius pleaded.
The majordomo’s thick eyelids descended a brief moment. “Not to be disturbed,” he repeated.
Cassia had slipped from us and made her way to a gate in the villa’s outer walls. Her chef friend would likely admit her without question.
As the majordomo drew breath to command us to go—Livius’s wealth and retinue did not impress him—a banging and clanging sounded from inside the depths of the house, followed by shouts. The majordomo, still more harassed, turned his back on us and hurried into the domus.
Before the doorman could shut us out, one of Livius’s men shouldered open the gate, pushing the hapless man aside.
“Commend Cassia on her inventiveness,” Livius said to me. “I believe my friends and I will stroll these extensive gardens for a time. I am searching for ideas on how to improve mine. We will be within earshot.”
