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sign. You ve no idea how long I ve searched for a man who combines a little
wit with a little strength. An ordinary peasant from the arena wouldn t begin
to understand that simple-minded joke I just made. Are you sure you
understand  ?
Tired of her teasing, I proved I did, pulling her tight, my arms around her
back. She kissed me fiercely, using her open mouth like a weapon to bruise
mine. There was a wildness in her caresses that excited me, turned me rough
when she drew me to one of the Spartan sleeping rooms off the peristyle.
Dim lamps flickered through the hangings, touching her coppery hair with fire.
Greenish eyes wide, she pulled my head down to kiss her full, pink-ended and
shaking breasts.
Fiercely her fingers crawled along my back. She dragged me into an embrace
that was not gentle but more like an attack, an angry, violent wrenching and
straining.
Her back, her thighs moved and trembled with enjoyment as I bedded her there
in the whispering dark of the Earth Mother s house. My senses reeled when she
bit my lips and moaned, louder and louder, crying strange savage words in
Greek until at last, with one piercing cry, she sank her teeth into my
shoulder while our bodies shuddered away to quiet.
Little love or joy had gone into the union. I knew it as I lay in the dark
with Locusta s hair spread on my shoulder and her mouth murmuring sleepily
near my ear about my proficiency as a lover. I felt strangely spent and
hollow, as though what we d done was entirely without significance.
 Cassius, my dear? If I continue to find you appealing, there s almost no
limit to the honors I can help you attain. For one, how would you like to be
invited to perform not for the rabble but for the Emperor himself?
 Of course I d like that.
 Well, as you must know, Nero stagesludi privati quite often. To be selected
as feature performer at such private games would be a higher step than you
might manage for yourself in years of trying. I can  
The scream came from the peristyle.
 No! You may not enter! My mistress says  
 What your mistress says is of no damned importance, wench, a rough voice
yelled.
 Knock the blind pig out of the way! another, oddly familiar voice bawled.
Locusta leaped up. She flung her gown around her. There was cold rage on her
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face, turning her old suddenly. She stormed into the peristyle.
 That sickening voice has sounded in my ear once too often!
I grabbed my tunic and stumbled after her. I blundered into the peristyle as
the blind Thracian girl s screams dwindled to helpless sobs. Three good-sized
slaves, all armed with short swords, waited on the far side of the pool.
Another was just delivering a vicious kick to the belly of the fallen blind
girl. Out in the Temple garden the Galli set up a frightened row in their
squeaking voices. Then, from a clot of shadow behind the strange slaves,
lurched the Sicilian horse-breeder.
His toga was wine-spotted, his eyes ugly.  I had to thrash a few of those
simpering priests to get in here, Locusta, Tigellinus said.  But thrash them
I did. I heard you were entertaining a lover tonight. You conniving,
red-haired bitch!
 Horse-breeder, you re drunk. Disgustingly drunk, Locusta exclaimed. But
rather than flying at him in anger, she was abruptly calm. She hurried to his
side.  Haven t I told you that when the time is right, I ll invite you here in
style? Tonight is not the night. I realize I may have led you on a little at
the games this afternoon  
 Led me on! Tigellinus snorted.  You were far more explicit than that. Yet
the moment I try to make any arrangements, you shy away. You  never mind. I
didn t come here to argue with you. He brushed her aside, stumbled toward the
pool and upset a bench.  Where s your lover? Let s see the kind of man you
prefer over me.
Tense and angry, I stepped from the shadow of a colonnade.  Here, Tigellinus.
The Sicilian s eyes focused with difficulty. He swiped a hand across his lips,
blinking and muttering to himself.  What s this? A slave, from all
appearances. Somehow I m sure I ve seen  Ye gods! The arrogant pup from the
Bestiarius School! And he was in the arena today, wasn t he? By heaven, I
thought I recognized   Tigellinus stopped, chuckling.  Well. Well, well. My
young friend, I remember how you cost me a lot of money on Horus the Egyptian.
I m sorry to say your career has just come to an inglorious end. No magistrate
in Rome will punish me for killing you.
With a skewering motion of his finger he signaled for his quartet of slaves to
do their work.
Like inhuman things they all began to walk forward at once. Their short swords
shone. Before they had taken five steps, I moved.
I closed my hands on a bronze salver and sailed it through the air. The edge
caught the first slave in the side of the head. He stumbled, cursing.
 Attack him! Tigellinus shrieked.  Attack him, you dung, or I ll flay the
hide off you!
Cold in my belly, I grabbed the next handy object, a wine jar. I threw it
square at the head of the second slave. He fended it with a clang of his
sword. Locusta grasped Tigellinus arm with one hand and slapped his cheek
smartly with the other.
 That s enough, you ill-tempered fool! I won t tolerate hired assassins in my
house! Meddle any further in my affairs, and you ll lose any chance you ever
had of getting what you want!
Over her shoulder the Sicilian glowered at me. The slaves waited. Tigellinus
began,  Remember, woman, I have influence  
 Care to test yours against mine? Locusta countered.
 You re bluffing, Tigellinus snarled.
 Am I? Shall we go to the Palatine this moment? Waken the Emperor? Have him
settle this dispute?
Tigellinus chewed his lip and changed his tack.  Locusta, I won t stand for
being humiliated by a common criminal from the arena!
 You ll be more than humiliated, I shouted at him, my temper out of bounds.
 You ll be killed, bug-eyes.
Locusta whirled on me.  Be quiet! Don t make matters worse.
Tigellinus laughed, or more properly, snorted. The sound broke the tension of
the moment.
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The slaves picked themselves up. One threw me a half-grin, as if to say it was
nothing personal. Locusta treated Tigellinus to a slow, bedazzling smile, the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]