The Goose Guards (4 page)
Marcus Manlius was a powerful man with the eyes of a hawk and a nose like its beak. He listened to my babbled news, then he took off his hob-nailed sandals so he could run silently to the cliff edge.
Pulling Fabia back, Marcus stared down into the gloom. “Someone is climbing the cliff,” he nodded. “Well done, boy.”
He backed away and we hid behind one of the great marble columns of the temple. When we heard a young man pulling himself over the top of the Tarpeian cliff, Marcus Manlius leapt out.
“Die, Gaul!” he cried.
As Fabia and I ran out to watch, we saw the shadowy form of the invader fall to his knees, throw his arms wide and cry, “I am not armed–I am a friend–I am a Roman!”
He spoke Latin and wore a Roman tunic. Marcus lowered his sword and helped him to his feet.
“I’ve come to help,” the man panted. “I am Cominius.” Fabia snorted. “One man can’t do much!”
The stranger peered at her through the darkness. “One man with an army behind him can,” he said.
“Oh,” Fabia muttered, and I felt pleased to see her squashed.
“Lord Furius has the army ready to attack,” Cominius explained.
“But he needs orders. He needs me to return and tell him you wish to be rescued.”
Marcus Manlius led the way to the temple where the priests and the soldiers were eating a miserable meal of corn and watery wine. “My friends, we have news from Lord Furius,” he said. “The army is gathered at Veii. He wants to know if we want his help.”
Marius rose to his feet. Like Fabia, his manner was quiet and tired now. “Lord Furius was banished from Rome. He is a rogue and we sent him away for his crimes.”
Marcus Manlius said, “Then we can stay here and die. The Gauls will overrun the temples. They will pull down the statues of our gods.
The past three weeks of struggle will have been wasted. We may as well have given in on that first day. Is that what you want, Marius?”
Marius shook his head wearily. “Let us send for Furius,” he conceded.
The young soldier, Cominius, thanked him and set off back down the secret path to Veii.
Everyone on the Capitol Hill was cheered by the thought of rescue.
“It will take two days for Furius to reach us. We have barely enough food to live on.” He laughed. “It would be good to have a feast when they arrive. But we can’t.”
And that’s when I stepped forward. It was the plan I’d been dreaming of for days.
“There
is
a way we can eat like lords,” I said brightly.
“How?” Marcus asked.
I turned and looked at Fabia. “By killing those great, fat geese, of course!” I said.
“No!” she screamed. “Not the geese! You can’t! They’re holy birds and we need them to protect Rome!” She wailed and sobbed till she was too tired to cry any longer.
But Marcus Manlius nodded. “When rescue comes, we will feast on the geese,” he agreed.
I smiled to myself. My revenge was almost complete.
I walked past the geese the next morning. They clacked their yellow beaks at me and hissed their hatred.
But that day I smiled and licked my lips. “Tomorrow, my feathered friends. Tomorrow, we’ll be rescued by Lord Furius and then I will eat you. That’ll be nice … for me … won’t it?”
I walked off, laughing, and on my way I passed the tearful Fabia going to give the geese their last-ever meal.
