Age of Treason Page #7

and Lady Helena's gone

to clear us a way out.

But there's a problem

with keys.

You! Come on, move! Move!

-Don't you start or I'll beat you!

Now move! -Sulla!

SULLA:
Pull now! Pull! Pull!

Get going! Move, you!

Move! Come on! Get going!

-Scream!

-(SCREAMING)

(SCREAMING)

I always wanted to do that.

Here. Go!

(CROWD CHEERING)

(DRUIDA ROARING)

It's a pity your father

wasn't here in time to see this.

She's incredible, isn't she?

An absolute Amazon!

Where's she from?

Britannia, I think.

Of course, there's the palace

banquet to culminate the games.

Oh, yes, of course!

If she survives here, we could have

her fight there as a gift to Vespasian.

We can get whoever

owns her to sell her to us.

I don't see

how they could refuse you.

Excellent.

Then it's settled.

Niobe! What are you

doing here?

Freeing you!

Freeing all of you!

-You're insane, girl.

-No! It's a miracle.

Oh, bless you, Falco!

Bless you!

Visit me whenever you want.

No charge.

Neither of you will get the chance

if you don't go quickly.

Apparently the threat of death doesn't

prevent you from enjoying street whores.

What you saw was an expression

of Christian gratitude.

And what are you doing here,

anyway?

I'm still asking myself

the same question.

-(TRUMPETS HERALDING)

-(CROWD CHEERING)

Goodbye, Falco.

(CLATTERING)

MAN:
Come on, move!

MAN:
Come, to your cell!

(GRUNTING)

Sulla!

-(GROANING GROGGILY)

-Here!

(MOANING)

MAN:
Sound the alarm!

(HORN BLOWING)

-Justus!

-Justus?

You mean Justus

was a part of this?

Well, he was most of this.

And he was

right behind me, but...

Then they'll kill him

for sure.

I'll need this,

I'll need that.

Now, you go on.

I'll meet you later.

Well, where? They'll be

at the office, at your place...

Then at Mother's. Now go on.

Halt!

Hold it! Where do you think

you're going, slave?

(LISPING EFFEMINATELY)

There you are, you disobedient animal, you!

-MAN:
What?

-Bad, bad, bad!

Well, don't just stand there

like idiots!

Tie his hands!

I'm taking this one

straight home

to see he gets

the whipping he deserves.

Now, get along,

you wretched ox,

before I really lose

my temper.

Go on!

And take it from me, boys,

never own a gladiator.

Bye!

(LAUGHTER)

Our Curio's gone and sworn

himself to the cult of Cybele.

And this time it's gonna take more than

some fast talking for me to get him back.

Aw, don't blame the boy.

He does something like this

every time his sister Lepida

gets divorced.

What, again? That's

number four for her, isn't it?

(ALL CHUCKLING)

Now we know

why I never got married.

Our family's just not

good at it.

Oh, nonsense. I've had three

perfectly good marriages.

-Who's counting, Mama?

-Not you,

who won't have time

for even one wife

if you don't get yourself

out of this fire.

If only I knew whose fire.

Speaking of which,

but I wasn't,

did you ever find

that Greek doctor?

FALCO:
So he called it

Mandragora, did he?

Yes.

Some sort of aphrodisiac,

isn't it?

Prepared in small doses, yes.

But mix enough of this with wine

and it can arouse one

clear into the next world.

First lions, and now poison.

No! I've heard enough to know it's time

you catch a ship to Africa or someplace

and disappear

while you still can.

-(DOOR CRASHES OPEN)

-(MEN GRUNTING)

-MAN:
We found this soldier spying outside!

-(WOMAN SCREAMING)

(GRUNTS)

By all means find a ship

and book passage, Mother.

But if I can't stop

who's behind all this,

then it'll be our family that has

to flee Rome and not just me.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING SOFTLY)

CHILD:
Good night, Uncle!

CHILD:
Good night!

WOMAN:
Good night.

This one make you

a bit edgy, does he?

It's not him. It's them.

You fear for your family

now, Falco.

Your mother, the children.

-I don't even fear for myself.

-You know nothing of your parents?

I was three, maybe younger,

when we were taken as slaves.

I don't remember anything.

I only know

I'm not from Thrace.

"So don't call me Thracian,"

right?

I don't have a past, Falco.

Everyone has a past, Justus.

It's just that finding your past

could be a bit tricky.

I mean, you were branded every time

you were sold, right? Let me have a look.

It's a small empire after all.

Flavius Glyco,

you old dog, you.

-Glyco?

-Yeah.

I was gonna pay him

a visit at sunrise.

If anyone can get me a lead

into that cult, Glyco can.

But he was a big wholesaler in the slave

trade until his wife made him give it up.

Couldn't keep from sampling

the female merchandise.

Anyway, I'm sure

that's his brand.

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)

Politics gets ugly, the economy goes

bad, people turn back to religion.

And what with cults

like Cybele's,

I had to take on extra help

just to keep up with demand.

I saw the new temple of Cybele

the other day. Most impressive.

Ah, forget about the temple. You get

a look at that priestess, Saleena? Ooh!

What I wouldn't give

to pray at her altar.

How much can you tell me

about her, Glyco?

There's a rumor that she's been giving

the Emperor's son, Domitian,

a bit more than just,

uh, spiritual guidance.

He's a regular at all the ceremonies.

There's a big one there tonight.

Zeus overthrowing Cronus,

I think.

That's where all this lot

are going.

FALCO:
Saleena and Domitian, eh?

What could she want with him?

He's still a boy.

Unless it's Zeus

overthrowing Cronus,

a royal son who hurls his father from

the throne to rule the gods himself.

And then little Domitian becomes

her puppet to rule Rome.

But why kill Cato?

So. Are you here to buy,

Falco, or just to browse?

I'm curious what you can

tell me about my man here.

-His birth, Glyco.

-His birth?

I'm a maskmaker, Falco,

not a soothsayer.

Don't need to be a soothsayer to

recognize your brand on him, Glyco.

My brand? Really?

It's so rare I get to see

one of those anymore.

Oh, the slaves!

Shiploads from every corner

of the Empire.

All colors, shapes and sizes.

They were the good old days.

May I see it?

-I hear he's from Thrace.

-No, this one's from Germania.

I always used to mark the Germans

with an extra little dot there. See?

Oh, fine specimen he grew into

too, eh?

Surely you can tell me more

than just where he comes from.

Well, I bought thousands

of Germanians

after the legions went in

to crush them.

There were quite a few

rather large boy children.

One of them might have been

the son of a local king,

but I'd have to check

the records to say for sure.

Why don't you do that, Glyco?

Why don't you check your records?

And I'll take a few

of these masks here now.

Oh, you will?

So what do I get out of all this?

If you're very lucky,

I won't tell your wife

about all the extra help

you've been getting.

Uh...

(CHUCKLES SPEECHLESSLY)

Helena! You can't be

going off at this hour!

I'm afraid I must. Someone may

have some information about Cato.

I seem to have caught you just in time.

Are you on your way out?

The Caligula

under the arena again?

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