Luciano Servius had been travelling four days now from Gabii, a little city 11.2 miles east of Rome. Luciano was fortunate to have served one of Rome's greatest scholar and prolific author, Marcus Terentius Varro. Marcus had found him on a trail, stripped, beaten and left for dead by robbers when he was returning from one of his many journeys from the province up North. He took pity on him and had taken him along to his home in Rome. He let his servants take care of him and nurture him back to health. When Marcus learned that his name was Luciano, he had laughed and said that he reminds him of his mentor, Lucius Aelius Stilo. Luciano had come to know that he was a very important scholar and wanted very much to stay and learn under him. But Marcus was a very busy man. However, he had found time to teach him the basics. God be praised he was a quick learner. Learning all that he needed in so little time, he had helped Marcus to copy most of his many works and writings. This was how he had become a scribe, helping many noblemen write their letters and document their estates. Some of his clients had been made through referrals from his master, Marcus Terentius Varro. His charge was moderate, although there were times he charged a bit higher when a matter required haste.
With the little fortune he had made as a scribe from the noblemen of Rome, he had set off on his own and settled in the city of Gabii. Gabii was calming and suited his personality more than the populous city of Rome with its gladiatorial fight at the Circus Maximus and teeming population. He hated all that noise and wished for quietness. His master had understood his restlessness and released him to go on his way. He was a young lad of 18 years when he left his master. Luciano was but 14 years of age when he left Lucca to Rome to sell and deliver silk to the various cloth merchant in the city. Silk had been the local produce of Lucca for generations now. Marcus found him when he was 15 years. He had spent but three years under the tutelage of his master. Now, he was 25 years of age and going back to Lucca to visit his family. He had left home for long. How many years now – 11 years? Good Lord! That was some years! His parents must have aged a lot. And his siblings? Maximus was still suckling at his mother's breast when he left. Childbirth was hard on his mother so she and her father had space their Children apart at seven years intervals. After his sister's birth seven years after him, his father had wanted to stop. But his mother had stubbornly refused, arguing that she wished for two sons and not one. So another seven years after Flavia, Maximus was born. They must have grown some now.
Travelling with his private carriage had made the journey so comfortable and easier. Because he didn't want to travel the highway alone, knowing how robbers prey on innocent travellers, he had picked up a man with his pregnant wife and one child. There were also two soldiers returning home to Aquinum, a city after Lucca beyond the Liris River. The man with family had alighted at Fabrateria Vetus earlier. Now, they were on the back trail towards Lucca, but the night is upon them already. He thought of stopping at Fabrateria Vetus, but something seemed to prompt him to hurry along. He told his carriageman to keep going and offered to host the soldiers at his home in Lucca and let them continue on their way the next day.
Touching the silver chain around his neck with a cross falling a little below his chest, he prayed that he meets his family safe and sound when he reach Lucca. As he murmured his prayers silently, the horse whinnied coming to a stop abruptly. He opened his eyes and leaned out slightly to ask his carriageman if everything was all right. But at that exact moment, terrible screams filled the darkness around them. The soldiers became alert, and three of them quickly got out.
"What was that? He asked his carriageman, looking around.
"I'm not sure sir, but there seemed to be a fire ahead."
As he spoke, suddenly the trail a little ahead of them lit up with fire. With wide eyes, they saw a huge reptile with scales swooping down. It picked something up between its sharp teeth which seemed to be wiggling. Blood splattered on the ground. Two more figures ran towards them, trying to get away from the huge reptile. But the beast seemed to be on a deadly rampage. The next second, it caught the nearest person, biting him off from the middle. The remaining mauled part falling limply to the ground.
Persis ran with all her strength towards the people in front of her who stood frozen, not able to grasp what was going on. She grabbed at Luciano with her bloody hand.
"Please, help me! Save me!" She cried out and fainted.
Luciano caught her unconscious frame in his arms, holding her up. She looked as pale as death. The soldiers who carried their guns along on the journey for protection began to fire at the beast as it turned towards them. The bullets, however, did not penetrate. It fell off the body of the beast like pebbles.
"Oh God! What is this thing?" his carriageman cried, scrambling to get down and get away but he was a little too late. The next second, He felt his right arm being ripped off its sockets. Blood began pouring out from his torn limb as he fell to the ground. The blood tasted foreign on the beast's mouth. It stepped back a little and began to huff, preparing to breathe out fire. Luciano called one of the soldiers, handing over the lady in his hands to him and rushed towards his carriageman. Muttering prayers under his breath, he fingered the cross again, raising it high towards the face of the beast.
¹"Et mali spiritus ab inferno et abierunt."
As soon as the fiery eyes caught the symbol, sharp light shot into its eyes. It roared in pain as it shied away from the light. The fiery breath died in its throat and it began to take quick steps backward. It turned abruptly, flapped his wings, and flew into the darkness leaving a trail of blood and smell of death. The night filled with the gore of the dead.
²"Yeshua HaMashiach be praised" Luciano breathed, dropping to his knees in relief.
Footnotes:
1. "Et mali spiritus ab inferno et abierunt": Be gone you evil spirit from Hades.
2. "Yeshua HaMashiach": Hebrew word for "Jesus the Messiah"