Rome’s Fallen Eagle by Robert Fabbri Read Free Book Online Page B

to have to wait for later. We’ve got to get round to your uncle’s house.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘I’m afraid we’ve got a big problem, sir; it’s Sabinus.’
    ‘Sabinus is in Pannonia.’
    ‘I wish that he was, but I’m afraid he ain’t. I’ve just left him; he’s here in Rome.’
    A look of dismay crept over Vespasian’s face; now he understood the true meaning of Herod Agrippa’s words.
    ‘At your Crossroads Brotherhood’s tavern!’ Gaius boomed in horror. ‘What in the name of all the gods is he doing there? He’s meant to be in Pannonia.’
    Magnus shrugged. ‘Yes, but he’s not, sir. He turned up a couple of hours ago, weak and wobbly as a drunk Vestal from loss of blood from a nasty wound to his thigh.’
    ‘How did he get that?’
    ‘I don’t know; he’s been dropping in and out of consciousness since he arrived. I called the doctor we use in these situations – he don’t ask too many questions – and he’s cauterised the wound and stitched it up. He says that with food and rest he should be fine in a few days.’
    Gaius slumped down into a chair by the fire in the atrium’s hearth and reached for a calming cup of hot, sweet wine. ‘The young fool took part in the assassination, didn’t he?’
    Vespasian paced nervously to and fro. ‘Why else would he be here in Rome without telling us? And if he was trying to keep his part in it secret, then he’s failed. Herod Agrippa knows, I’m sure of it, and, as we know, he bears no love for Sabinus.’
    Gaius took a sip of his wine. ‘Then we need to get him out of Rome as soon as possible.’
    ‘Where to, Uncle? If he’s condemned he can’t go back to his legion in Pannonia and they’d find him on one of our estates. He’s safest at the moment with Magnus. What we need to do is ensure that he’s not condemned.’
    ‘And how can we do that?’
    ‘By taking advantage of the new system of government. You saw it in action last night; it’s Claudius’ freedmen who rule him.’
    ‘Of course!’ Gaius looked relieved for the first time since being dragged from his bed to hear the bad news. ‘I’ll send a message to Pallas to say that we need to see him as soon as possible after the ceremony this morning. We’ll find out then whether we can still count upon his friendship.’
    The people of Rome turned out in their hundreds of thousands to witness their new Emperor receive the oath of allegiance from his now loyal Senate and the Urban Cohorts. That they had regularly laughed at him previously and mocked his malformed body as he was publicly humiliated by his predecessor was now conveniently forgotten by most of the masses crowding in and around the Forum Romanum and along the Via Sacra. However, neither Claudius nor those surrounding him had overlooked the ridiculing of the past, and so the entire Praetorian Guard was stationed along the procession route. They were dressed in full military uniform rather than in togas – their normal attire when on duty within the boundaries of the city – as a reminder to the citizens that it was military power that had elevated Claudius and it was military power that would keep him in his position, and that power was not to be mocked. The sensibilities of the Senate and People of Rome had taken second place to the need to preserve the dignitas of the new Emperor; anyone suspected of making fun of him was dragged away for a thorough lesson in how quickly a man could develop a limp and start drooling uncontrollably.
    Resplendent in freshly chalked, gleaming white togas bordered by a thick purple stripe indicating their rank, the Senate led the procession. Their numbers had swelled back up to over five hundred as those who had left the city the day before had hurriedly returned in the hope that the Republican sympathies they had expressed would be forgotten – or at least overlooked – by the new Emperor once they had sworn loyalty to him. The senators walked with slow dignity, looking neither left nor