The Demon Tamer Read online

  «You know a lot and things about food!», yum-yum, «Why do we buy others of them?» Damian asked.

  «Maybe. I must deliver the tithe, they say that now we have to give it a lot and a half. Scoundrels! My father is old and no longer has the strength to work. What did we do wrong? I will sell the rest of the bags to my trusted buyer. I wish I could get a gold solidus per bag! I wish also 100 silver siliquae! The ones that I don’t want are the bronze follis» Ascanio said.

  «What are you talking about?» Damian asked curiously.

  «About coins! Look at, this is a bronze coin!» He showed it to Damian who saw that on the main face there was a man’s face, while on the back face there was a roman eagle.

  «Who is this man?»

  «Constantine I, our Emperor».

  They traveled along the Via Flaminia and finally, after almost two hours, they arrived before the walls of the most beautiful city in the ancient world.

  «Rome. It’s a magnificence!» Damian exclaimed. He had never seen such high walls and didn’t even know what a city was.

  The red and powerful Aurelian walls, ten meters high, showed all their beauty. Built with bricks of brick, by order of the Emperor Aureliano, they surrounded and protected the entire city. The crenellated walls had a series of towers, above which the soldiers played their role of guard. There were archers ready to throw their arrows at enemies and catapults, war machines that throwing large darts to quickly cover blind spots and those unprotected. Eighteen main doors allowed the access to the city and a series of square windows, in the sections of the walls between tower and tower, guaranteed the soldiers a close view on those who wanted to enter in Rome.

  They arrived at the huge Porta Flaminia which opened onto an unknown world. The door had an arch with three round arches, the central one was eight meters high, while the two sides were three meters high. On the pillars that supported the arches and on the entablature, above the arch, the mythological figures of various deities were noted in relief, among which the roman wolf stood out together Romulus and Remus. At the attic level there was the inscription: “Roma Caput Mundi”. In front of the two pillars, which supported the main arch, there were two marble statues depicting the Emperor Constantine I. The doors were closed by iron gratings coming down from the high thanks to a pulley system.

  «Don’t bee too excited, you haven’t seen anything yet!» Ascanio said.

  The cart stopped and in front of them parried two soldiers who wore the lorica musculata of iron that highlighted the muscles, abdominal and pectoral, in a fictitious way and behind it was closed thanks to some buckles. Below they had a red tunic and wore greaves of brass on ankles. At their feet they wore caligae, while on their heads they had a metal helmet with a red plume. Still and motionless, they held a spear with a triangular tip, one with the right hand on one side, the other with the left hand. Together they barred the way to anyone who wanted to enter.

  «Who are you?» one of them exclaimed.

  «We are peasants who have come here to deliver the harvest» Ascanio said.

  «You can pass»

  As soon as the wagon began to move, the other soldier, the lowest of the two, shouted: «Stop! You boy, it’s not the first time you come here. But who is he? It seems suspicious!»

  «I ...» Ascanio yanked Damian and silenced the boy.

  «He’s my cousin. Because of a serious illness his mother died and now lives with me».

  The soldier nodded the grille rose and so they could enter in the most powerful city that ever existed.

  Damian was shocked by that immense beauty and the sun that illuminated the way. Meanwhile those two Romans were confabulating between them.

  «That boy has something strange. I will talk with superiors, certainly they will know more» the soldier said. The other nodded.

  Meanwhile Damian and Ascanio traveled in the city on board of the wagon.

  «This is the Via Lata, the urban part of the Via Flaminia, which will lead us near the Roman Forum. Look around us! There are the patrician houses and the farmers’ wagons that bear tithes. Here it is! The baker’s shop, you feel the smell of bread!» Ascanio said.

  The smell of spelled bread and delicacies from the wood-burning oven of the shop inebriated the two. On the sides of road there were a series of two-story houses, where the ground floor of the arcades were the workshops and the butchers, the bakers and the sellers of fabrics, which paid the rent to the patricians, rich Romans that lived upstairs. Instead, other buildings with a rectangular layout, which were located nearby, were taverns for drinking and housing. The structures had a white color, a red roof and many quadrangular wooden windows. Under the arcades there was a great movement, the whole city was very chaotic. Many people walked on the sidewalks and many roman soldiers with lorica hamata, consists of rings’ steel bound together, and armed with spears, spatha and pugio, a thin knife, were patrolling the city. Statues of gods and emperors were found along the road and near the peripteral temples that had Ionic or Corinthian columns. The road had large square-shaped slabs of stone, well organized between them. On each side of the street there were great beauties that greatly intrigued the young Damian.

  «What are those big buildings?» He asked to Ascanio.

  «The white one on the right, with a circular plan, is the Mausoleum of Augustus. In the series of semi-domes present on the lower floor, there are the statues of Augustus and of his family, which rests at the internal together at the same Emperor. The emperor is exactly what you see in the center of the top of the dome, surrounded by the three concentric series of pines».

  «Oh! Those people sitting, don’t have pants!» Damian said, seeing through a window.

  «It’s normal, that’s a public latrine. In those four walls there are eight marble latrines. It is a series of oval holes present in a structure in the shape of a parallelepiped positioned horizontally. It is used to do your own business for free» Ascanio answered.

  «But I see the flow of water!» Damian noticed.

  «Of course, there are two small water channels between two latrines. Get the towel tied to a handle and clean you using the water, then lay it in a small tank. You know, it’s not bad to go there, you always exchange words with someone. Sometimes I also met some pretty girls!» Ascanio explained.

  «No thanks. I’d rather use the one at home» Damian replied.

  «Well. So today you will clean it for good!» Ascanius said laughing.

  «Oh, no...» Damian sighed.

  Along the way they came across a series of majestic buildings and temples.

  «The Tiber river!» Damian was taken aback.

  «Yes, it crosses the city and through marble bridges you pass from one bank to the other».

  «What are those things in the water?»

  «Those are the Galae of the roman fleet and the others are the merchant boats. They are means that allow you to sail the rivers and the seas»

  «What is the sea?»

  «A large expanse of salt water. You don’t know anything at all!» Ascanio answered, annoyed.

  «And that big structure we see from afar, instead?» Damian asked, more and more curious.

  «The Pantheon, is the temple dedicated to all the gods, is a circular structure surmounted by a dome, with a portico that has a first row of eight Corinthian columns, while behind them there are two other rows, but incomplete. On the architrave, supported by the columns, there are written the words: “Marcus Agrippa Luci Filius Consul Tertium Fecit”. Marcus Agrippa himself is depicted in the various reliefs present in the tympanum, which is found in the interior of the pediment gable» Ascanio said, after accelerated the march of the wagon inciting Storm.

  «Those clothes are beautiful! What are they in particular? And who are those people?» Damian asked, as he watched a group of people.

  «Patricians, men and rich women, wearing the toga, a surcoat placed above the tunic, of linen or of wool and various colors, while the judges and
the senior officials, that you see over there, always wearing a white toga with stripes red. Those women at the street corner, however, wear the stole, a tunic that reaches down to their feet, and over the it wears a cloak called palla and is also placed on the head. These last two are typical women’s clothing» Ascanio explained.

  While Ascanio explained, they arrived at the so-called Roman Forum, between the Mount Palatino and Mount Capitoline, the center place of the political and commercial life.

  There was a large market where you could buy anything. They had finally reached to their destination. Damian saw an immense square, with various buildings and temples dedicated to gods, such as the Temple of Venus and the Temple of Mars that stood on either side of the forum. To the left and to the right there were the structures, while in the center there was a fountain with a statue representing a stupendous woman who seemed real.

  «Who is that woman? » he asked Ascanio.

  «She is not a woman, she is a goddess. The most beautiful of all, Venus» the young man explained.

  He was surprised at the beauty that a simple statue could give off. The statue depicted a naked woman who, with her hands and arms, tried to cover her intimacies. It was in the center of the fountain, circular in shape, filled with the water that gushed from a vase.

  The Roman Forum had many buildings: at north there was the Tabularium, a building in tuff and the rectangular plan, with two levels of arches and columns on all its facades and a red roof. Here all the roman public archives were scrupulously preserved; at east there was the Basilica Emilia, a rectangular building eighty meters long which had two floors with a series of arches and of columns and with no wall on three of its four sides, while as a roof it had a large terrace where in correspondence of the columns, which rose from the floors below, there were statues of various deities resting on white blocks. It was the seat of the bankers and the courts which was accessed through a wide staircase, where to pass the time were engraved a chessboard to play to latruculi, the roman chess game; at south there was the Arch of Septimius Severus, with three arches, with the description of his triumphs on the archway and the keystones. It consisted of four Corinthian columns placed on stands leaning against the pillars of the arches, all topped by a penthouse with the inscription extolling his exploits; at west there was the Curia Iulia, seat of the senate, a building with a black door, a steeply pitched roof and the gray walls from the outside concealed the hidden beauty in the halls; inside of forum was present a series of peripteral temples with the granite Corinthian columns, on travertine base, surmounted before by a frieze, where they were depicted mythological scenes, then inside a triangular gable there were many small statues positioned perfectly. They were dedicated to the deities of Saturn, the god of harvest, to the Dioscuri, better known as Castor and Pollux, the twin sons of Jupiter and Leda and to other deities; Finally, there was the temple of Vesta, a small circular temple dedicated to the goddess of each dwelling. He had a marble podium fifteen meters in diameter and the interior of the cell, surrounded by Corinthian columns, was guarded the sacred fire of Vesta kept alight by the Vestal Virgins, virgins consecrated to the goddess.

  Damian appreciated those architectures, the divine harmony and the splendor that emanated from that place. From afar, however, they could see the Emperor Palace along with the Colosseum. Frenzy, life and joy, all gathered in that place. The two passed in front of the statue of Venus that seemed to smile at Damian who, incredulous, rubbed his eyes. They came to the place long-awaited, to the Tax Building, a red palace fifteen meters high, where the publicans collected taxes.

  «Have pity on me, I have no harvest! This year my field was destroyed, someone started a fire! Have pity, I have nothing to give you!» a middle-aged man shouted.

  The Publican ordered the guards to take him to the court.

  «Whoever does not pay taxes will pay with his own life! » the man, with that white robe and the red stripe that distinguished him, said. The cart stopped in front of him.

  «We come from the lands around the walls, we are peasants who came here to bring the tithe to the Emperor» Ascanius said.

  «Well, go ahead» replied the Publican.

  «You wait here, I’ll go in alone» Ascanio ordered.

  Damian got out of the wagon and when it entered the building, the doors closed. The young man began to wander around the roman forum, then saw something on the ground.

  «What is this glitter?» he said softly.

  He reached down and in the space between two stones of the street, found a silver coin and took it. An intoxicating smell led him to a market full of merchants with stalls of all kinds, positioned on either side of the street. Who sold fish, who sold fruit, who harvested, who dressed, who weapons, who brought dishes, cutlery and glasses of various material.

  «Fine fabrics, silk dresses! Come on people! Come closer!» the merchant loudly said.

  The scent led him to a wooden stall lined with a green cloth, where an elderly lady with green eyes, very corpulent and with short white hair, sold bread and other delicacies.

  «What do you want my dear?» the old lady asked to him.

  Damian looked between the many pieces of bread and sandwiches, then he was struck by something special.

  «What is this strange triangular loaf ?» Damian asked.

  «It’s not a loaf. Look better at its golden-white color, it’s soft and tasty! It’s a focacia! It is made with wheat flour, oil, salt and a pinch of rosemary. It costs 20 bronze coins» the lady replied.

  Damian gave her the silver coin silver and the woman with a mappula, a papyrus from the yellow handkerchief, took the focacia. He handed it to the young man and then gave him the rest in bronze coins. Damian greeted her and started enjoying that delicacy. Eating and walking in the crowd, he slowly came to the fountain of Venus, where he sat down to rest. Little birds arrived to get something to eat and Damian, without delay, gave him crumbs.

  «I wonder if I’ll ever remember anything...» he said with a sigh.

  «Don’t lose hope, have faith!» a soft female voice said.

  «Who are you?» he asked in amazement, then turned and saw the statue move its mouth.

  «You talk?» he asked her.

  «Only to those who can hear me» the marble statue, leaning against a vessel from which flowed the water, said. His face gave off beauty, she had unique features of her own kind.

  «How is it possible? And what is faith?» Damian asked.

  «One day you will understand. Pay attention to those around you, your journey will be long and difficult. Faith is like that little blue bird that is eating at your feet, never abandon it!» then she fell silent forever.

  «Better go away» Damian said as he thought of those words.

  He returned to the market and, among the stalls, something hit him deeply. It was the look of a merchant of weapons, a short man with a huge belly that was sitting on a chair. His hairs ware long and dark, covering his mysterious eyes and a long parrot nose. He wore a black tunic, while his stall was gray. Damian comes close to arms and saw the swords, the axes, the javelins, and the arches with the darts that would kill the enemy at the first shot. There were knives of all kinds, small and large, of assorted colors and with particular handles. His mind was upset when he saw, just between the daggers, a small statuette. He took it in his hand and was stunned.

  «Dragons are immensely powerful, my dear. No weapon can kill them, nothing can stop them. The legends say that even Hercules could not kill a Dragon!» the merchant murmured.

  Damian warned that statue, depicting a dragon, was awfully familiar to him. It was a small black dragon with majestic wings and silver claws, he had his mouth wide open with white teeth, his eyes were blue and the scales tip, of the same color, they left from the head and came to the tail thus creating a blue mane. He was upright and wore a silver armor formed by a helmet that he wore on his head, a breastplate that was on the body and the protective plates for elbows and kn
ees. With his left hand he grabbed a Doric column reduced in half and with the right paw crushed the complementary part of the same column, which he had perhaps destroyed with his strength. Damian started having dizziness, little memories resurfaced. In a flash he remembered Dasmond and The Village of the Gods, but above all of he remembered the Dragon and the stories about him.

  «Fifty bronze coins for this, boy» the merchant said, making him come to his senses.

  Damian him handed him all the money he had, the man grinned with satisfaction. The young man went away with a great headache. He crossed the market and came near the temple of Vesta.

  «Take that girl! Don’t let it escape!» A group of soldiers shouted in chorus.

  The girl was running fast and Damian let her pass without doing anything. She was very charming, she had hair, coppery and undulating, that reached back, the eyes from green-gray and thin lips that attracted the attention. He was wearing a yellow stole and sandals on his feet. He quickly disappeared into the market crowd.

  «Where did it go? Tell me, boy!» a soldier asked.

  «That way!» Damian pointed the wrong way, then saw from afar Ascanio as he talked with some men outside of the Tax Building. He had a strange smile on his face. On board his wagon, he quickly reached Damian.

  «I’ve been lucky! No tenth to pay! The harvest was all sold at a good price! Come back home!» the young man said happily.

  His words were strange. Who knows what absurd motive made him happy. Damian got into the cart and left the Roman Forum. He turned to look again at the little Rome he had seen. Again, he saw that girl running away between the buildings.

  «What will she ever do» he thought.

  They went back the same way they had come. They reached the Via Flaminia again and looked at the city from afar. The imposing walls protected it, but something was happening inside it and Damian could feel it, without understanding why.