his feet and shook his fist. "How could you allow such a thing to happen, right before you? Caesar claims Venus for an ancestor, but you should be on my side!"
There was a rustle among the bodyguards, made uneasy by their master's impiety.
"And you!" Pompey turned to me. "I charge you with finding the man who did this. Bring me his name. I'll see to justice."
I shook my head, averting my eyes from Pompey's wild gaze. "No, Great One. I can't."
"What do you mean? You've done such work before."
"Very little since I last worked for you, Great One. I have no stomach for it anymore. I made a promise to myself to retire from public life if I managed to reach sixty years. That was a year ago."
"You don't seem to understand, Finder. I'm not asking you to find Numerius's killer. I'm not hiring you. I'm ordering you!"
"By what authority?"
"By the authority vested in me by the Senate's Ultimate Decree!"
"But the law—"
"Don't quote the law to me, Finder! The Ultimate Decree empowers me to do whatever is necessary to preserve the state. The murder of my kinsman, acting as my agent, is a crime against the state. Discovering his killer is necessary to protect the state. The Ultimate Decree empowers me to enlist your assistance, even against your will!"
"Great One, I assure you, if I had the strength, and if my wits were as sharp as they once were—"
"If you need a helper to guide you about like blind Tiresias, call on your other son. He's here in Rome, isn't he?"
"I can't draw Eco into this," I said. "He has his own family to look after."
"As you wish. Work alone, then."
"But, Great One—"
"Say no more, Finder." He stared at me coldly, then turned his gaze to Davus. "You there! You still look to be a healthy fellow."
"Never sick a day, Great One," said Davus warily.
"And not a coward."
"Certainly not!"
"Good. Because one of the powers granted to me by the Ultimate Decree is to muster fresh troops. You, Davus, shall be my first recruit. Get your things together. You're leaving Rome with me tonight."
Davus's jaw dropped. Diana, who had been watching from the doorway, ran to his side.
"This isn't right, Great One," I said, as calmly as I could. "Davus is a citizen now. You can't coerce him into—"
"A citizen, yes, but also a freedman, and a freedman has obligations to his former master. I've pledged to raise a certain number of troops from among my own dependents. Davus shall be among them."
"But he's no longer of your household. You gave him to me, as payment for my services. I manumitted him."
"Ah, but he still has certain obligations to his original master."
"Not legal obligations."
"Yes, legal obligations! If you don't think so, I suggest you examine the contract you signed when I handed him over to you, notably the clause regarding previous servitude and contingent future obligations in case of martial emergency. It's a standard clause in every contract when I sell or release a slave; otherwise I might see my former slaves being used to fight against me, instead of for me. This is a martial emergency, and Davus must submit to military service, when and where and how I choose. And you would presume to quote the law to me! "
"Papa, is he right?" Diana clutched her husband's arm.
I looked at the circle of armed men around us. Whether Pompey was right or not hardly seemed to matter. "Great One, the city may soon be in chaos. I need my son-in-law to protect the household."
"He seems to have done a poor enough job of that!" Pompey's voice broke as he gazed down at Numerius. He swallowed hard. "But I won't deprive you of protection for your women and slaves, while you're out finding the killer of my kinsman. I shall leave you a bodyguard in Davus's place. You, there!" He called to one of the guards who had barged into my study, the one who had breathed garlic in my face. He was even bigger than Davus, and would have been ugly even without his broken nose and the hideous scar across one cheek. "You're called
There was a rustle among the bodyguards, made uneasy by their master's impiety.
"And you!" Pompey turned to me. "I charge you with finding the man who did this. Bring me his name. I'll see to justice."
I shook my head, averting my eyes from Pompey's wild gaze. "No, Great One. I can't."
"What do you mean? You've done such work before."
"Very little since I last worked for you, Great One. I have no stomach for it anymore. I made a promise to myself to retire from public life if I managed to reach sixty years. That was a year ago."
"You don't seem to understand, Finder. I'm not asking you to find Numerius's killer. I'm not hiring you. I'm ordering you!"
"By what authority?"
"By the authority vested in me by the Senate's Ultimate Decree!"
"But the law—"
"Don't quote the law to me, Finder! The Ultimate Decree empowers me to do whatever is necessary to preserve the state. The murder of my kinsman, acting as my agent, is a crime against the state. Discovering his killer is necessary to protect the state. The Ultimate Decree empowers me to enlist your assistance, even against your will!"
"Great One, I assure you, if I had the strength, and if my wits were as sharp as they once were—"
"If you need a helper to guide you about like blind Tiresias, call on your other son. He's here in Rome, isn't he?"
"I can't draw Eco into this," I said. "He has his own family to look after."
"As you wish. Work alone, then."
"But, Great One—"
"Say no more, Finder." He stared at me coldly, then turned his gaze to Davus. "You there! You still look to be a healthy fellow."
"Never sick a day, Great One," said Davus warily.
"And not a coward."
"Certainly not!"
"Good. Because one of the powers granted to me by the Ultimate Decree is to muster fresh troops. You, Davus, shall be my first recruit. Get your things together. You're leaving Rome with me tonight."
Davus's jaw dropped. Diana, who had been watching from the doorway, ran to his side.
"This isn't right, Great One," I said, as calmly as I could. "Davus is a citizen now. You can't coerce him into—"
"A citizen, yes, but also a freedman, and a freedman has obligations to his former master. I've pledged to raise a certain number of troops from among my own dependents. Davus shall be among them."
"But he's no longer of your household. You gave him to me, as payment for my services. I manumitted him."
"Ah, but he still has certain obligations to his original master."
"Not legal obligations."
"Yes, legal obligations! If you don't think so, I suggest you examine the contract you signed when I handed him over to you, notably the clause regarding previous servitude and contingent future obligations in case of martial emergency. It's a standard clause in every contract when I sell or release a slave; otherwise I might see my former slaves being used to fight against me, instead of for me. This is a martial emergency, and Davus must submit to military service, when and where and how I choose. And you would presume to quote the law to me! "
"Papa, is he right?" Diana clutched her husband's arm.
I looked at the circle of armed men around us. Whether Pompey was right or not hardly seemed to matter. "Great One, the city may soon be in chaos. I need my son-in-law to protect the household."
"He seems to have done a poor enough job of that!" Pompey's voice broke as he gazed down at Numerius. He swallowed hard. "But I won't deprive you of protection for your women and slaves, while you're out finding the killer of my kinsman. I shall leave you a bodyguard in Davus's place. You, there!" He called to one of the guards who had barged into my study, the one who had breathed garlic in my face. He was even bigger than Davus, and would have been ugly even without his broken nose and the hideous scar across one cheek. "You're called
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