Pello Island: Cassia (20 page)

Darius walked back to the wall, leaving her standing with the guard.

“You can’t go there, Cassia.  It’s a horrible place, too horrible for you.”  Flavius was genuinely concerned.

“I will go, Flavius, and you won’t do a thing to stop me,” she said.  Her eyes were hard as she spoke to him.  “You will run the shop and care for my servants.  Every three months, you’ll send supplies with an armed guard to see that we get them safely.  You’ll do this or I will tell the senator you killed my father.”

Flavius stood in front of her, torn between his love for her and his fear of the cross.

“We have to go to the river, Flavius.  I need to book passage on a ship, and the docks aren’t safe for a woman alone.”

On the day he was to be transported to Pello Island, Darius was shackled on the docks waiting to be called onto the ship.  He saw Cassia and Flavius heading toward him and became angry.

“Darius, I tried to book passage on this ship, but the ship is full and the captain told me it would be six months before I could get passage on the next one,” she said.  “I booked passage, Darius.  I’ll be with you in six months.”

“I told you not to come.  I meant it, Cassia.  I can’t be responsible for you, don’t you understand?  I can’t take care of you.”

Flavius became disgusted listening to Darius and went to strike him, but a guard caught him and pushed him to the ground.

“Darius, I know who you are and I love you anyway.  You called me foolish, and foolish I may be, but I’ve never been more sure of anything in my whole life.  But, if you don’t want me when I arrive, then I will leave on the very next ship.  Flavius will send our freedman to the island with passage for me and I’ll go.”

Darius was taken aback by her rational behavior.  He would have expected her to cry and pull on his hand, but all she did was stand before him as serene as a goddess.  Something had changed inside of her; something had finally touched the heart of this little girl, turning her into a woman.  

“You seem so…different, Cassia.  Perhaps I’ve misjudged you.”

Darius held her eyes for several seconds before looking over at Flavius.  In an instant, he knew what had happened that night.  Flavius saw the recognition in his eyes and turned away, leaving the docks.  Darius was so shaken he’d forgotten Cassia was still standing in front of him.

“I’ll see you in six months, Darius.”

She went to touch his hand and the guard pulled her back.  Darius heard his name being called and could feel himself being pulled toward the ship.

“Goodbye,” he yelled, and Cassia waved.

Darius was petrified.  He’d never faced a situation like this before.  He’d had a privileged life, with every need met.  Now he would be in a place where no one would care who he was.  He’d have no protection whatsoever, and would have to rely solely on his wits to keep himself alive.  By the time the ship pulled away from the dock, Darius was shaking.

Darius stood at the rail for a long time, until he could no longer see her form.  He watched the Tiber flow by and thought about the many times he’d sought its counsel.  In the end, the river had sent him to Cassia and his doom.  

In anger, Darius turned away and found a place to sit against a wall.  He was suddenly struck by a pain in his head so strong he saw stars.  It lasted for several minutes, and Darius was determined not to cry out.  Instead, he held his head as tightly as he could, until the pain diminished.

After several days, the boat left the Tiber for the open sea, and the waves began to rock the boat harder.  Darius pulled his legs up and put his arms around them, hugging tightly, while he thought about Cassia. Six months until she would join him.  Six months alone, on Pello Island.

THE END OF PART ONE

PREVIEW DARIUS PELLO ISLAND 2 BEGINNING ON THE NEXT PAGE

PELLO ISLAND 2

A. L. JAMBOR

PREFACE 

I’ve taken many liberties with regard to the Roman gods depicted herein in order to create a story strictly for entertainment value.  During the course of the Pello Island stories, several Roman gods are mentioned.  To enhance your reading experience, I have made a list of the gods used herein, and a brief description of them:

1. Jupiter – King of the Gods.  Thunderbolts were his weapon and his brothers were Neptune and Pluto.  He was married to Juno.  He was known to take mortal women by force.
   
2. Neptune – God of the Sea.  Brother of Jupiter and Pluto.  He was moody and arrogant.  His weapon is a three pronged trident.
   
3. The Parcae (Parche) – The Parcae consisted of three females who determined the destinies of human beings.  Their names were:
   
   1. Nona: The youngest.  She would create, or spin, a lifespan on her distaff and spindle;
      
   2. Decima: The middle child.  She determined the length of a person’s life;
      
   3. Morta: The oldest.  Her scissors would cut the thread of life.  She also determined the cause of death.
      
4. The Parcae’s decisions were final and no god could interfere with their task.  They were sometimes depicted as sisters, and I’ve chosen to depict them that way.
   
5. Juno – the Queen of the Gods.  She was the goddess of women and marriage, and she was married to Jupiter.
   
6. Strenia – One of the goddesses of healing and strenuous tasks.
   
7. Hermes – A messenger, similar to Mercury.
   
8. Moneta – The goddess of memory.
   
9. Hercules – Jupiter’s son by a mortal woman.  He was known for his great strength.
   

If you would like more information regarding Roman mythology, the Internet is a valuable resource, and there are many websites available.

Besides the Roman gods, I’ve tried to depict the way Roman society worked, without getting too detailed.  Roman fathers retained control of their daughters even after they married.  In the event of her father’s death, if a woman didn’t have an uncle or brother to handle her affairs, she would need a male guardian.  Some women bucked the system and ran their own businesses, but more often than not, a girl was at the mercy of the men in her life.

Roman aristocrats always married within their own social sphere.  They rarely married for love, and male children were prized over females.  Often female babies were exposed to the elements by their fathers, who literally had the power of life or death over their offspring.  Those who were allowed to live were often betrothed by the time they were eleven or twelve years of age, and could be married to men as much as twenty or thirty years older than they.

The main purpose of marriage was to produce an heir, to carry on the family name and fortune.  Love was reserved for one’s concubine or mistress, and wives were relegated to running the household and to teaching their daughters useful arts that would enhance their husbands’ reputation, such as spinning and weaving.

 PROLOGUE

Jupiter’s Palace on Mount Olympus

Jupiter’s eyes were focused on a map of the Mediterranean Sea.  He had summoned his older brother to the throne room, and when Neptune lumbered in, he plopped down into a chair, belched and scratched his stomach.

“It’s customary to dress for an audience with your king, my dear brother,” Jupiter said, eyeing Neptune’s stained tunic.  “You look surprisingly alert, considering the evening you had.”

Neptune growled in response.  He’d been up all night with Bacchus.  The wine had flowed freely, and the last thing Neptune remembered was pushing Bacchus over a waterfall and sliding in after him. 

“Oh, I see we’ve still not recovered.  Well, ducky, I have an assignment for you,” Jupiter said, using Neptune’s childhood nickname.

“I told you not to call me that.”

“But I do so love your reaction when I do,” Jupiter said.  Again, Neptune growled.

“Oh, gods, fine – I have an assignment for you, Neptune.  There’s this rock in the Mediterranean causing shipwrecks.  It has to be removed.”

“Why?  I like the rocks.”

“Ships have been banging into the damn thing.  There’s been a tremendous loss of life, and people have been praying.  Of course, you haven’t responded, so now the prayers are coming my way, and I won’t have my reputation sullied by your indifference.  Besides, the sailors are your responsibility.  You’ve always said you liked them.”

Neptune shrugged.  “So, what of it?”

“Cheeky, are we?  If you care about something, dear brother, you take care of it.”  Jupiter waved Neptune over to see the map.  “I need you to destroy that rock,” he said, pointing at a tiny spot on the map, “and get it out of the way so the ships can sail without incident.”

Neptune squinted, trying to see the spot.  “Do you think you’re able to handle it?” Jupiter asked.

“Of course I can handle it!”

Jupiter was disturbed by Neptune’s appearance.  He wished he’d waited until Neptune had recovered from his binge before bringing this up.  There would be no reasoning with him now.

“There’s one thing, though, one very important thing you must remember.  There’s an island a few kilometers away from that rock called Pello.  People live there.  If your condition hinders your aim and you hit Pello, it would be a catastrophe.”  Jupiter paused, weighing his next words carefully.  “I can always send Hercules to take care of it.”