Page 33 of Brother at Arms

Livius rose from a folding chair placed behind a square table. “Leonidas, welcome. Menekrates, have more food brought for my guest.”

Menekrates bowed stiffly and vanished from the room.

Livius himself pulled another folding chair from the wall. It held a deep cushion, offering comfort.

“I am looking for Cassia,” I said. I seated myself gingerly on the chair, not liking so much softness.

“She is dining,” Livius assured me.

He went silent as another servant, one of the burly men who usually attended him, carried in a tray full of bowls and plates. The man set the repast on the table then laid a clean plate, a spoon, and a knife in front of me before trudging out again.

I’d forgotten my hunger in my anger and grief, but the food began to tempt me. There was a bean salad with fragrant vinegar dressing and various pieces of roasted fish already cut up that I could spear from its dish with my knife. Flatbread spread with spiced, mashed chickpeas also awaited, as well as fresh greens with early berries scattered through them.

Soon all offerings were on my plate, and I was chewing through them, washing the meal down with Livius’s best wine.

“I’ve never enjoyed anything beyond simple fare,” Livius said as we partook. “If you have a good chef, the simple becomes far more satisfying than complicated dishes meant to impress your clients.”

I agreed that this food was some of the best I’d eaten. The servant returned not long later with a bowl of basinyas—fried balls of dough drizzled with honey.

“Everything was tasty,” I said to Livius. “Thank you.” I licked honey from my finger, surprised that a satisfying meal could turn my thoughts from the dire place they’d been.

“I wished to invite Cassia to dine with me, but Menekrates was horrified, and informed me it was not done.” Livius chuckled. “I’ve been told repeatedly that I need a majordomo, so I hired one, but I’m finding it’s more like having a nanny.”

I did not answer, and Livius continued.

“I’m not certain why it matters whether Cassia eats with me or not,” he said. “We were all born slaves here, even Menekrates. He’s a freedman now, as are all who work in my house. But I believe that most majordomos, whether freeborn or enslaved, are snobs.”

I thought of Nero’s majordomo and others I’d met and agreed.

“I was not,” I said.

Livius had lifted his delicate glass of wine to his lips, and now he paused. “Pardon?”

“I was not slave born,” I said. “I was a free citizen of Rome. I went to the games as punishment for killing my master.”

Livius’s brows climbed. “I have not heard this story. Did you kill him?”

“No.” I popped a crunchy ball of dough into my mouth and savored its sweetness. “But he died. He was crushed by a building he was working on, and I was blamed.”

Livius set down his glass. “It sounds more like a tragic accident to me. Why were you accused?”

I shrugged. “They could not understand how the wall, which had been solid the day before, could have collapsed, and I was nearby. The magistrate needed someone to punish for the incident, and he chose me.”

“I see.” Livius regarded me with new curiosity. “What do you think happened?”

“I never knew. He was a good architectus, and what he’d been building was sound. Maybe a rival rigged it to fall? They might have meant for the builder to be there, to eliminate him, or it might have been misfortune.”

“Well.” Livius let out a breath. “Perhaps it is something you and Cassia should find out. To clear your name entirely.”

“I took my punishment and survived.” I still had difficulty looking back to the time before I’d been a gladiator.

“Yes, but you were labeled a criminal,” Livius pointed out. “Unfairly. If you clear yourself, you can become a trusted citizen again, maybe even earn compensation.”

“It was a long time ago.”

Livius lifted his hands, conceding the argument. “In any case, you are here now, with friends who are grateful to you. I know you are worried about Cassia, but she is well. My servants like her and look after her.”

“And I am grateful to you,” I said. “But I do need to speak to her.”