The Risen by David Anthony Durham

Author:David Anthony Durham
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2016-05-02T16:00:00+00:00

Kaleb

“Come attend this thing with me,” Crassus says. “I want it documented for my papers. Afterward we’ll see to the matters of correspondence.”

The senator stands in his camp tent, arms raised. His body slave works beneath them, attempting to put the finishing touches on his accouterments. The boy is not one of Crassus’s but was assigned by the legion on Crassus’s arrival in Picentia, far from Rome, the edge of civilization, as it were. South of them, rugged mountains, home to wild things and men and, of late, fugitive slaves. Kaleb is beginning to suspect that the boy was chosen as some small slight against the new commander, as he doesn’t seem familiar with the work. He’s already had to retie the scarlet sash of Crassus’s new rank several times, seemingly unable to drape the bow to Crassus’s liking.

“As you wish,” Kaleb says. He’s already opened the circular leather container his master’s personal mail arrived in. From it, he’s plucked out and arranged the papyrus rolls on his camp desk. One column for military correspondence, one for financial concerns, one for personal matters. Having read the personal ones already, a portion of his mind composes the responses he’ll write in the senator’s name. Those ones—matters familial and marital—Crassus has no issue with Kaleb reading before him. It’s the military and the financial letters that he’s more guarded with.

Signs of the body slave’s growing distress are obvious. His fingers start to tremble. Kaleb wants to tell him to relax. It’s just a bow, easy to tie no matter the waist it’s meant to adorn. It’s not for him to offer advice, though, certainly not in front of his master. Instead, he says, “There are three letters from your wife.”

Crassus scowls at the boy. “No, fool! Look, you’ve made the two ends uneven. Start again. Start right in order to finish right. Do it.”

Stuttering an apology, the boy does.

When Crassus answers Kaleb, his tone is different. While it falls short of bridging the master-slave status between them, it’s familiar, only mildly condescending. It’s the voice he uses with Kaleb in private. His tone showing a lean measure of favor toward the Ethiopian that contrasts with his growing disdain for the fumbling slave. “Tertulla thinks I have nothing better to do than correspond with her about the details of life back in Rome. Read them to me later, then write a response. The usual things. My love and that. All is well. Assure her that glory is coming to the house of Crassus. You know the words.”

“Yes, master,” Kaleb says. He’s penned such missives hundreds of times already. While traveling to oversee far-flung investments. When Tertulla was away at one of their country villas. Even, on occasion, when husband and wife were both in Rome but Crassus couldn’t bother to walk from his quarters through to hers. He’s written several already on this venture and will certainly write quite a few more before the work is concluded.

“Oh, leave off it!” Crassus snaps, swatting the slave’s hands away.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.