'No!' Gemellus' voice rose to a cracked scream.

The next door along the alleyway opened and a man's head poked out.

'Get back inside,' Romulus shouted furiously. 'Or I'll castrate you too!'

The householder vanished, terrified by Romulus' threat. Things like this happened every day in Rome, and the powers that ruled the city couldn't be bothered to employ a force to maintain order. Who was he to intervene?

Romulus set to slicing open the lower part of Gemellus' tunic. Lying like a slab of meat on the butchers' block, the merchant did nothing to stop him. Only the movements of his chest and his piteous sobbing gave the lie that this was not a side of beef or pork. Off came Gemellus' wet, stinking licium, his undergarment, revealing his wizened, unwashed manhood. Romulus laughed when he saw it. 'Not much to lose, is it?' he taunted. 'I bet it'll hurt all the same.' Leaning forward, he grasped the shrunken bag below and pulled it tight to make the cut easier.

Gemellus' throat opened and he began to wail anew.

Romulus' pugio was a hairsbreadth away when something made him stop. Turning his head, he saw the urchin observing him with an expression of absolute terror. Their eyes met, and Romulus was reminded of himself as a boy, witnessing people being robbed and injured on the streets of Rome. Abruptly he felt his senses return, and a wave of shame swamped him. What am I doing, Romulus thought, looking with disgust at Gemellus' sagging flesh. Torturing an old man while a child watches? What have I become?

Wiping his dagger clean on Gemellus' tunic, Romulus stood. 'You're not worth it,' he said, breathing heavily. 'Living in this shithole is punishment enough.'

Gemellus didn't answer. Clutching alternately at his bleeding cheeks and his exposed privates, he lay motionless as Romulus sheathed his pugio.

'Come on,' Romulus said to the relieved-looking urchin. 'Time to find that inn, and pay you.'

The boy came alive at the mention of money.

'Are you hungry?' Romulus asked, ushering him towards the street.

There was a vigorous nod.

'Tell you what,' Romulus said, keen to show that he wasn't a complete thug. 'You've been a great help so far. I'll throw in some food as well as the ten sestertii, all right?'

The urchin's face split in a beaming smile. 'Thank you, sir.'

Romulus grinned, ruffling his hair. Decent meals had been rare in his childhood too.

His little guide gave him a tentative smile in return, but abruptly his expression changed to one of alarm. 'Look out!' he cried.

Too late, Romulus began to turn. Something heavy smashed into the back of his head and stars exploded across his vision. His knees buckled and he crumpled to the ground, catching sight of Gemellus right behind him. Still half-naked, the bloody-faced merchant held a large lump of rubble in his hands. 'Little bastard!' he spat. 'I should have had you crucified alongside the Nubian.'

Sprawled on the rough ground, Romulus tried to turn over, or to draw his dagger, but he couldn't. All his strength had gone, and his mind wavered on the very edge of consciousness. His eyes closed, which was a great relief. He was vaguely aware of the urchin rushing at Gemellus, screaming for him to stop, but the cursing merchant slapped him away with ease. When the boy tried again, Gemellus smashed him across the face with the back of his hand. Sobbing, the urchin withdrew. A moment later, Romulus felt someone looming over him. With great effort, he rolled on to his back.

Leering triumphantly, Gemellus raised the piece of brick high. 'I'm going to enjoy smashing in your skull,' he said. Blood dripped from his wounds on to Romulus' tunic. 'Shame your sister's not here to watch. Then I could fuck her afterwards.'

Impotent rage flooded through Romulus at the insult, but he was helpless to react. A mass of stabbing needles were radiating from the back of his head and he was seeing double. Clumsily he raised a hand, but like his other limbs, it seemed to belong to someone else. Unable to do more, Romulus sagged back down. After all I've been through, he thought wearily, this is the way I'm going to die. Should never have got Juba to teach me how to use a sword. At least he'd still be alive. Romulus' remorse over the death of his friend triggered sheer resignation. He watched passively as Gemellus swung down with all his might.

This is my punishment, he thought.

Instead of crushing Romulus' head like a rotten egg, though, Gemellus collapsed on top of him. The chunk of rubble fell from his slack fingers with a crash, and he went limp. Confused, Romulus lay there for several heartbeats. Gemellus did not move again, prompting him eventually to try and sit up. The merchant's dead weight on top of him was far more than his nerveless fingers could shift, though. Even the tugging efforts of the urchin made little difference. Romulus closed his eyes. All he wanted to do was sleep anyway.

A moment later, a deep, sonorous voice joined the boy's piping tone. 'Let me help.'

It sounded familiar, but Romulus didn't know why. He felt Gemellus' body being rolled off him. To his surprise, the back of the merchant's ragged tunic was saturated with blood. Protruding from the middle of the red circle was the bone hilt of a knife. If Gemellus wasn't already dead, he would be soon. A dull relief settled over Romulus, partly because his former master had received his just desserts, and partly because it had not been he who finished the job.

'By all the gods, it is you,' said the voice. 'Both of you were in danger!'

Romulus looked up. Flanked by the urchin, Tarquinius was stooped over him. Utter amazement mixed with groggy understanding. 'What are you doing here?' he croaked with a leaden tongue.

Typically, the haruspex didn't answer. Gently turning Romulus' head so that he could assess his wound, he probed through the matted blood and hair with expert fingers.

Fresh agony flooded outwards from the area. 'Jupiter, that hurts,' Romulus protested.

'Hold still.'

He obeyed, using the opportunity to focus on the cloaked haruspex. Apart from a caved-in cheek and a few more grey hairs, his friend had scarcely changed. Yes, Romulus thought, pleased by his instinctive reaction. That is what he is – my friend. I forgive him for what he did. At once he felt lighter, and his lips turned upwards in a pleased smile. 'Is that your knife?'

There was a nod.

'Thank you,' Romulus muttered.

'I was in a real hurry. Who knows what made me glance down this alleyway,' said Tarquinius, pressing down on Romulus' skull here and there. 'Thank all the gods I did.'

'It's good to see you.'

Tarquinius paused for a moment to regard him. 'You're sure?'

Romulus nodded, and then wished he hadn't. His head felt like the drum on the rowing deck of a trireme. 'Yes,' he whispered. 'I've missed you.'

'Likewise.' The haruspex grinned, taking years off his age. He wiped his bloody fingers on his roughly spun tunic. 'Mithras and Fortuna are truly smiling on you today. I can't feel any breaks. A day's rest and you should be fine.'

Unanswered questions that Romulus had been carrying around for an age started to surface. 'Why did you disappear in Alexandria? Who looked after you?' he demanded. 'Where have you been since?'

'Later,' replied Tarquinius, looking concerned. He got to his feet. 'You'll be all right on your own for a while, won't you? This lad can accompany you back to your camp.'

Worry was a most uncommon emotion to see on the haruspex' face. 'What's going on?' Romulus asked. 'Can't it wait?'

'I didn't want to bother you,' Tarquinius muttered. 'There's trouble at the Lupanar.'

Surprised by Tarquinius' awareness, Romulus shrugged. 'I know. Nearly got mixed up in it myself. Who cares, though? It's just one lot of thugs fighting another.'