The Secundus Papyrus Albert NoyerTHE SECUNDUS PAPYRUS The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Text copyright © 2003 Albert Noyer All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Published by AmazonEncore P.O. Box 400818 Las Vegas, NV 89140 ISBN: 978-1-935597-86-5 With special thanks to the writing group: Jennifer, Melody, Mary, Frank, Russell and Leslie S.B. MacCoull Ph.D. Society for Coptic Archeology (North America) Fallite fallentes: ex magna parte profanum sunt genus: In laqueos quos posuere, cadant. Deceive the deceivers; they are mostly an unrighteous sort. Let them fall into the snare they have made. Ovid, Ars Amatoria DRAMATIS PERSONAE Getorius Asterius Surgeon at Ravenna, son of Treverius and Blandina Arcadia Valeriana Asteria Wife of Getorius, training with him to be a medica Flavius Placidus Valentinian III* Emperor of the Western Roman Empire Licinia Eudoxia* Valentinian’s wife, Empress Galla Placidia* Mother of the emperor, daughter of Theodosius I Theokritos of Athens Palace Library Master Feletheus Assistant to Theokritos Brenos of Slana Abbot of the Abbey of Culdees at Autessiodurum Fiachra Secretary to Brenos Sigisvult Architect of the mausoleum of Galla Placidia Surrus Renatus Archdeacon of Ravenna Flavius Aetius Supreme Commander of the Western Roman Army Publius Maximin† Wealthy senator at Ravenna Prisca Maximina Wife of Publius Maximin David ben Zadok Rabbi of the Judean community at Classis Nathaniel Rabbinic student of ben Zadok Charadric Guard at the palace, friendly to Getorius “Smyrna” Gallican League’s secret contact at Ravenna GLOSSARY OF PLACES MENTIONED GERMANY Mogontiacum—Mainz Treveri—Trier FRANCE Aballo—Avallon Forum Julii—Fréjus relate—Arles Genevris—Genévre Autessiodurum—Auxerre Lugdunum—Lyon Cabillonium—Chalons-sur-Saone Massilia—Marseilles Cularo—Grenoble Narbo—Narbonne Flavia Aeudorum—Autun Culdees—“Friends of God” fictional monastery at Autessiodurum ITALY Albinganum—Albegna Florentia—Florence Augusta Taurinorum—Turin Forum Livii—Forli Caesena—Cesena Genua—Genoa Classis—Classe Mediolanum—Milan Faventia—Faenza Ravenna—Ravenna (Somewhat fictionalized) HIBERNIA (Ireland) Clonard—in County Meath Slana—Slaine RIVERS Arar—Saone Rhenus—Rhine Bedesis—Montone Rhodanus—Rhone Icauna—Yonne Sinnenus—Shannon Padus—Po Contents Dramatis Personae Glossary of Places Mentioned Ravenna Chapter one Chapter two Chapter three Autessiodurum Chapter four Ravenna Chapter five Chapter six Chapter seven Chapter eight Chapter nine Lugdunum Chapter ten Ravenna Chapter eleven Chapter twelve Classis Chapter thirteen Ravenna Chapter fourteen Chapter fifteen Chapter sixteen Chapter seventeen Chapter eighteen Chapter nineteen Chapter twenty Chapter twenty-one Chapter twenty-two Chapter twenty-three Chapter twenty-four Chapter twenty-five Chapter twenty-six Chapter twenty-seven About the Author Ravenna Chapter one Emperor Valentinian III halted his horse to take in a deep breath of the chill November air, pungent with the scent of evergreen resin and the musty odor of decomposing leaves. A less pleasant fishy smell, from marshes on the nearby Adriatic seacoast, also filtered into the earthy fragrance of the pine forest. The emperor grinned at a jay that scolded his intrusion from the top of a dead tree. It was good to be hunting in the forest outside the imperial capital of Ravenna with only his two bodyguards, Optila and Thraustila, even if it was only for a few hours. Inside the palace, he, Flavius Placidus Valentinianus, the Augustus of the Western Roman Empire, still had to endure the endless nagging of his mother, Galla Placidia. “‘Placidus, you must take more interest in the government,’” he mimicked in a falsetto voice to the jay. “‘You spend too much time, Placidus, with your filthy Hun guards.’ ‘You should pay more attention, Placidus, to Licinia and your baby daughter.’” Licinia Eudoxia…pregnant again. Valentinian frowned at the thought of his young wife. He had been married to his cousin for two-and-a-half years, and half that time she had been pregnant, or sullen at having had to leave the Eastern capital of Constantinople. Marriage had been exciting at first, but now it was boring. Thank a lucky zodiac moon sign that Heraclius can always find me any number of slave girls who are willing to do anything for a bronze coin they can stash away toward buying their freedom. The jay called again, a harsh warning this time, but Optila, nearby, had already seen the boar. “There, August-us,” the guard whispered in Hunnic-accented Latin. “In clump of sumac to right.” Valentinian squinted in the direction of the fire-orange bushes. The boar stood rigidly still, with only a glimpse of its angry red eyes and breath vapor visible. Snorting, the animal tried to assess the danger from the intruders. Valentinian slowly brought up his bow and let a feathered shaft fly. A sharp squeal of pain betrayed that the beast had been hit, yet rather than charging, it turned and shambled off into the forest’s dark-green shadows. “Caco!” Valentinian spat out. “Shit!” He clucked his horse forward into the sumac, ducking his head low to avoid being bruised by the tangle of branches, trying to keep the boar in sight. Optila, with Thraustila behind, followed to help track the wounded beast. As Valentinian deftly guided his mount between the pines, he heard a splash of water ahead—the boar had crossed a stream that flowed eastward into the tidal swamps of the sea. “Zeus, let the furcing beast go,” he muttered, reining in his horse at the waterway. The two Huns halted a short distance away. Thraustila unstoppered a calfskin bag to share gulps of wine with his companion. While his mount guzzled from the stream, Valentinian picked gobs of pinesap off his leather vest and brooded. Between his wife, his mother, and army commander Flavius Aetius, life was becoming increasingly unpleasant inside the Lauretum Palace. Eudoxia was merely bad-tempered, but Galla Placidia had gotten more critical—of practically every piss he took. Mother resents giving up her hold on me now that I’m twenty and married. Well, she’ll have to furcing well live with it. Aetius, secure at being big shot Supreme Commander of the Western Roman Army, still treats me like a child. His strutting around reminds me of those two ostriches that the African galley master just brought in for my palace
