“Why didn’t he want them to suffer?”
“They had done him no harm personally. He recorded in his records that he found his capture to be a mere hindrance of his personal time, nothing more. It did his political career no harm either. Two years later, aged twenty seven, he became Pontifex.”
“And all was good again was it? For Caesar I mean?”
Falco yawned. He reached for his water.
“What? No! Just then Mithridates rose against Rome and a young gladiator named Spartacus began an uprising.”
“I’d love to hear all about that centurion, sir.”
Falco was still yawning.
“Yes I’m sure you would but some other time. I’m too tired now.”
Falco closed his eyes. Gaius sat where he was musing over what he’d heard. He dreamed of being a General like Caesar. A hero. A hero to Rome. He watched the others as they settled down to get some rest. Falco’s breathing was starting to get heavier as he was rapidly falling asleep. Gaius picked up his cup of water and took a long swig. He swallowed the first of it and felt it burning his throat. Then he tasted the salt and he sprayed himself with it as he spat it out. He threw the cup down as a couple of the legionaries turned to look in his direction.
“What’s the matter with you?” One of the soldiers asked.
Gaius was grimacing while wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
“Like you don’t know!”
“What?”
“One of you lot has put salt in my water. Ha Ha! Very funny.”
Falco opened his eyes.
“Do you want to keep your voices down. Some of us are trying to sleep.”
“It was Gaius.”
“Gaius shut up will you. You’ll get your chance at glory.”
“Great! Now you’ve annoyed him. He’ll probably give us some shitty job to do.”
“Well I couldn’t help it. You lot shouldn’t have put salt in my drink.”
“We didn’t.”
“Then who did?”
“Are you sure you didn’t imagine it?”
“Of course I didn’t.”
Falco opened one eye and glared at them.
“Here he’s right,” said one of the others, “My water is salty also.”
The legionary got up and slowly moved towards Falco.
“If someone has done it to him he’ll go bloody mad,” he whispered. He checked in the darkness to see if Falco’s eyes were closed. They were. He reached quietly for the centurion’s mug and brought it slowly towards himself hardly daring to breathe. He looked back at his colleagues. An iron grip suddenly fashioned itself around his arm, crushing his wrist. He let out a yelp of pain.
“What are you doing boy?” the centurion growled.
Falco took the cup and got up, forcing the legionary up with him. The man was trying to prise Falco’s steely grip away when the centurion suddenly let go. The legionary was left rubbing his wrist.
“I asked you what you were doing.”
The legionary stopped rubbing his wrist and gestured to his friends.
“Sir. Somebody has spiked our drinks with salt and well, sir, as much as we all enjoy a joke sir we were worried that they’d done it to yours and as we all know…well that would be taking it too far sir,” he swallowed hard, knowing that Falco’s temper was never far under the surface, just waiting to be scratched.
Falco took a mouthful of his water, swilled it around his mouth and spat it out.
“Who did this?”
His voice had become menacing. No one dared move or answer. Falco had been known, legally, to beat soldiers to death.
“I do not need to remind you that water is a precious commodity and that we have to ration it. It is too priceless to waste by accident or practical joke. Now who did this?”
He glowered at his men. Clearly no one was going to own up. Especially not now.
“Very well. In that case you leave me no choice. You are all….” he stopped as the legionary with the crushed wrist stepped forward.
“So it was you Marcus Iunius.”
“No sir. In truth it was none of us.”
“Is that so?”
Falco looked past Iunius as he saw other legionaries who had just received their water ration begin spitting it out and throwing cups to the ground. Two palace servants struggled past carrying a fresh barrel of water.
“Wait!” Falco shouted.
They stopped. He went over to them and dipped his hand into the water which was sloshing from side to side and brought it up to his mouth and tasted it. It was salty. He spat the water out, not concerned that it splashed their feet.
“Where did you draw this water from?” he asked.
Neither of them spoke Latin so they both looked at him puzzled for a moment. Then one of them said something to the other and dipped the ladle into the water and offered it to him. Falco shook his head.
“No! Where?” he pointed at the water then gestured with his arms, “Where?”
The other servant now understood. He pointed across the courtyard, then motioned with his hands a right turn, then a left and then drew a fountain in the air.
“Show me!”
Once again there were blank looks so the huge centurion placed his hand on the mans shoulder, turned him around and pushed him forward.
“Show me!”
This time he understood and he took Falco to the fountain.
“What do you think is happening?” Gaius asked.
“I don’t know,” Marcus Iunius still massaging his wrist answered, “But if it was a practical joke I wouldn’t want to be the bloke who did it. Did you see the look on Falco’s face.”
“Better shut up,” one of the others said, “He’s coming back.”
Falco went straight to Lucius Scato. The two men were in deep conversation.
“Can anyone hear what’s being said?”
“No. They’re too far away. Look at how close they’re standing. Must be so no one can overhear. Falco hates anyone to be close to him.”
“Apart from when he’s shouting at you then he’s right in your face,” someone said.
The legionaries were starting to group together. One soldier came over to Falco’s group.
“Hey Marcus Iunius what’s going on?”
“Publius! We don’t know. Not yet at least.”
“Did your water taste of salt?”
“Yes. Yours?”
“Yes. At first we thought it was a joke.”
“Us too.”
“Here you don’t think it was sabotage do you?”
“I’m not sure.”
“It can’t be the palace servants can it?”
“No. They wouldn’t have the balls.”
Another officer rushed up to Scato and Falco.
“I guess we’re about to find out,” Publius said.
This new officer spoke to Scato and not being careful with his voice the legionaries nearby overheard.
“Did you hear that. All the fountains are contaminated,” one said.
“Does that mean we have no fresh water?” another asked.
“I hope not because we won’t last long trapped in here.”
“Keep your voices down!” a nearby centurion shouted.
“But sir you heard what was being said.”
“Yes I did but until we know for sure there is no need to spread panic.”
“Well there is nothing else I can do,” Scato said, “I’m going to have to tell Sejanus and he’s going to have to tell Caesar.”
“Caesar will have to sort it out. We can’t go on without water,” someone shouted.
“WHO SAID THAT?” Falco roared.
No one came forward.
“It is true sir,” Marcus Iunius said, “We can’t go on.”