beams. Brilliant. Must have been the way the sun was shining
through it.’
‘I didn’t see it,’ said Ryan. He had eventually trailed into
the ruin after her. He shivered and looked around him. ‘Where’s the sun gone,
anyway? Come on, Mithras!’ he bellowed, throwing his head upwards and his arms
outwards. ‘Let’s have some proper sunshine!’
‘Hush!’ said Liv, turning and glaring at him. ‘You shouldn’t
be shouting on like that here. They wouldn’t like it.’
Ryan gave her an odd look.
‘Who wouldn’t like it? The Romans? Like they would still be
hanging around here.’ He laughed. ‘Given the choice between here and Roma, what
would you do?’
‘You don’t know what happened. You don’t know anything,’ said
Liv. ‘Because they didn’t all come from Roma or even Italia. I told you,
they’re from all over the empire; Holland and Germany and Spain and Arabia...’
‘Wasn’t that the line up for the World Cup semi-finals?’ Ryan
quipped. ‘Joke! Joke!’ he added quickly as Liv’s face grew thunderous. ‘Aw,come
on, Liv. Lighten up. You’ve gone all weird. What’s up with you?’ He walked up
to her and tried to take her hand. She shook him off and turned her back on
him. She hunched over the altars, studying them. ‘Liv?’ he asked, but she
wouldn’t respond. Ryan sighed and sat down where the backpacker lady had been
sitting. He stared around him, slouching down and stuffing his hands in his
pockets. ‘So. Mithras,’ he said. ‘Tell me more about your people. If you say
something, she might respond. It looks like I’m all out of favour.’
‘Get out,’ a voice said. Quite clearly. And quite close to
him.
‘Woah!’ Ryan swore loudly and jumped to his feet. ‘Liv, did
you hear that? Did you say something?’ Liv turned away from the altars,
frowning at him. She had a sheaf of papers in her hand now, and was trying to
match the weathered inscriptions on the altars to the information she had
gleaned from her research.
‘Ryan, pack it in. Stop being so stupid. There’s no need to
mock me, you know. I tell you what. You go home and I’ll finish up here myself.
I can’t be bothered with you.’ She turned back to the altars and hunkered down
in front of them. She traced her fingers over the inscription and spelled it
out in her head; DEO INVICTO MITRAE M SIMPLICIVS SIMPLEX PREF VSLM
‘”To the Invincible God Mithras,”’ she whispered, translating
it from her papers. ‘”The prefect Marcus Simplicius Simplex, willingly and
deservedly fulfills his vow.” Wow. I wonder what his vow was?’ She straightened
up and looked at the other two altars. For some reason, she wasn’t that drawn to
those two. They were interesting, of course; but she wanted to linger by this
one. Marcus Simplicius Simplex. ‘Who were you, Marcus?’ Liv wondered out loud.
‘And would I have wanted to know you?’
‘It was a mistake,’ said a voice. Liv spun around, expecting
to see Ryan next to her. But he was standing on the raised grass area staring
at her in horror.
‘There was a bloke next to you,’ he said. ’Right next to you.
Looking at you. I mean it.’
Liv looked Ryan straight in the eyes.
‘That’s enough!’ she shouted. ‘Go home, Ryan. Stop
making fun of me!’
‘I’m not!’ cried Ryan. His face was chalky white and his eyes
huge and terrified. ‘Really. I wish I was making fun of you. But I’m not. I
swear it. I’m not making fun of you.’
1650
In the days that followed Alice’s death, Meggie was terrified
at the prospect of leaving her cottage. Whenever she did manage to go out, the
whole village seemed to be pointing at her and whispering about her.
Conversations would stop as she approached and continue as she hurried away.
She had never felt so alone.
Meggie took to spending more time at Coventina’s Well than
ever. She would pray and cry and ask for forgiveness over and over again. She
would even call out for Alice to come back to her;
through it.’
‘I didn’t see it,’ said Ryan. He had eventually trailed into
the ruin after her. He shivered and looked around him. ‘Where’s the sun gone,
anyway? Come on, Mithras!’ he bellowed, throwing his head upwards and his arms
outwards. ‘Let’s have some proper sunshine!’
‘Hush!’ said Liv, turning and glaring at him. ‘You shouldn’t
be shouting on like that here. They wouldn’t like it.’
Ryan gave her an odd look.
‘Who wouldn’t like it? The Romans? Like they would still be
hanging around here.’ He laughed. ‘Given the choice between here and Roma, what
would you do?’
‘You don’t know what happened. You don’t know anything,’ said
Liv. ‘Because they didn’t all come from Roma or even Italia. I told you,
they’re from all over the empire; Holland and Germany and Spain and Arabia...’
‘Wasn’t that the line up for the World Cup semi-finals?’ Ryan
quipped. ‘Joke! Joke!’ he added quickly as Liv’s face grew thunderous. ‘Aw,come
on, Liv. Lighten up. You’ve gone all weird. What’s up with you?’ He walked up
to her and tried to take her hand. She shook him off and turned her back on
him. She hunched over the altars, studying them. ‘Liv?’ he asked, but she
wouldn’t respond. Ryan sighed and sat down where the backpacker lady had been
sitting. He stared around him, slouching down and stuffing his hands in his
pockets. ‘So. Mithras,’ he said. ‘Tell me more about your people. If you say
something, she might respond. It looks like I’m all out of favour.’
‘Get out,’ a voice said. Quite clearly. And quite close to
him.
‘Woah!’ Ryan swore loudly and jumped to his feet. ‘Liv, did
you hear that? Did you say something?’ Liv turned away from the altars,
frowning at him. She had a sheaf of papers in her hand now, and was trying to
match the weathered inscriptions on the altars to the information she had
gleaned from her research.
‘Ryan, pack it in. Stop being so stupid. There’s no need to
mock me, you know. I tell you what. You go home and I’ll finish up here myself.
I can’t be bothered with you.’ She turned back to the altars and hunkered down
in front of them. She traced her fingers over the inscription and spelled it
out in her head; DEO INVICTO MITRAE M SIMPLICIVS SIMPLEX PREF VSLM
‘”To the Invincible God Mithras,”’ she whispered, translating
it from her papers. ‘”The prefect Marcus Simplicius Simplex, willingly and
deservedly fulfills his vow.” Wow. I wonder what his vow was?’ She straightened
up and looked at the other two altars. For some reason, she wasn’t that drawn to
those two. They were interesting, of course; but she wanted to linger by this
one. Marcus Simplicius Simplex. ‘Who were you, Marcus?’ Liv wondered out loud.
‘And would I have wanted to know you?’
‘It was a mistake,’ said a voice. Liv spun around, expecting
to see Ryan next to her. But he was standing on the raised grass area staring
at her in horror.
‘There was a bloke next to you,’ he said. ’Right next to you.
Looking at you. I mean it.’
Liv looked Ryan straight in the eyes.
‘That’s enough!’ she shouted. ‘Go home, Ryan. Stop
making fun of me!’
‘I’m not!’ cried Ryan. His face was chalky white and his eyes
huge and terrified. ‘Really. I wish I was making fun of you. But I’m not. I
swear it. I’m not making fun of you.’
1650
In the days that followed Alice’s death, Meggie was terrified
at the prospect of leaving her cottage. Whenever she did manage to go out, the
whole village seemed to be pointing at her and whispering about her.
Conversations would stop as she approached and continue as she hurried away.
She had never felt so alone.
Meggie took to spending more time at Coventina’s Well than
ever. She would pray and cry and ask for forgiveness over and over again. She
would even call out for Alice to come back to her;
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