The Furies of Rome Read Online Free PDF Page A

reached the front door, Pallo, the aged estate steward, came in from outside and held it open for Sabinus, dusty and dishevelled from travel.
    ‘Is she still here?’ Sabinus asked without any pleasantries.
    Vespasian turned and fell in step with his brother. ‘Just.’
    ‘Well, just is good enough. I don’t think I’ve ever made the journey from Rome in such quick time.’
    ‘Did you leave Uncle Gaius behind you on the road?’
    Sabinus shook his head as they passed through the tablinum , the study at the far end of the atrium, and then on out into the courtyard garden. ‘I’m afraid not; he wasn’t well enough to make the journey.’
    ‘What’s the matter with him?’
    Sabinus looked at his brother as they paused outside Vespasia’s room, his eyes full of concern; although whether that was due to their mother’s imminent death or their uncle’s illness, Vespasian could not tell. ‘I’ll tell you after we’ve watched Mother …’ He left the sentence unfinished; they were both only too well aware of what they were going to watch their mother do.
    Vespasian opened the door and allowed Sabinus to step in first; as Vespasian followed, Vespasia surprised them both by opening her eyes. Her lips twitched into a weak smile. ‘My boys,’ she croaked, ‘I knew that I would see you both together before the end.’
    The brothers went to her bedside, Sabinus taking the chair and Vespasian standing at his shoulder.
    Vespasia reached out a hand to each of her sons. ‘I’m proud of your achievements for our family; the house of Flavius is now a name to be remembered.’ She paused for a couple of uneven, wheezed breaths, her eyes flickering between open and closed; neither Vespasian nor Sabinus attempted to interrupt her. ‘But it does not stop here, my sons; Mars has spoken. Sabinus, I’ve left a letter for you safe in Pallo’s care; take it, read it and act upon it when you see fit.’ Another struggle for breath made the siblings hold theirs until she managed to carry on: ‘Although I won’t release you from the oath you made all those years ago, the secondary oath that your father made you both swear, not just before Mars but before all of the gods including Mithras, to help each other does, as he rightly claimed, supersede it should it become necessary.’ Her hands squeezed those of her sons as her frail frame was wracked by a series of coughs, each more rasping than the previous.
    Vespasian raised a cup of water to her lips and she drank, immediately gaining relief.
    ‘And it will become necessary, Sabinus,’ Vespasia continued, her voice markedly weaker. ‘Because you will need to guide your brother.’ She fixed her watery eyes on Vespasian. ‘And you, Vespasian, will need to be guided. Indecision could be fatal.’
    ‘I believe that I know the contents of the prophecy, Mother,’ Vespasian ventured. ‘It’s that—’
    ‘Don’t try to guess, Vespasian,’ Vespasia cut in, her voice now barely more than a whisper. ‘And certainly never make your thoughts public; indeed, the fact that there were portentous omens at your naming ceremony should never even be admitted outside the family. You may think that you can guess at the meaning, but I tell you, you can’t. There were three livers, three different signs; I’ve written them all down in Sabinus’ letter to refresh his mind as he was so young at the time.’ Her eyes closed with the effort of speech, but she pressed on. ‘It’s what, when and, most importantly, how.’
    ‘Then tell me now, Mother.’
    Vespasia seemed to consider that for a few moments as she laboured to draw more breaths. ‘To do that would be to tempt the gods. For a man to know the exact course, timing and mode of his destiny would mean that his decisions would be shaped by something other than his own desires and fears; it would unbalance him and ultimately bring him down. A prophecy made is not necessarily a prophecy completed.’
    ‘I know,’ Vespasian said,