David Wishart: Germanicus

'Unless by then the cockroach is powerful enough to do the squashing himself.'

'There is that danger, yes.' She nodded. 'But remember, the emperor's no one's fool. He may raise Sejanus up, but it will be on his own terms and subject to his own safeguards. And if Sejanus doesn't realise that then he's the fool, not Tiberius.'

'Okay.' I set the wine cup down on the floor beside me. 'So that's the future taken care of. What about the present?'

'I told you. There isn't anything either of us can do about that. Forget it. For the moment.'

'That wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Sejanus must be aware that I've been raking through the laundry basket and I've come up with a dirty set of smalls. What's to stop the guy sending me the same way as Carillus, down the Tiber with a knife in my back? Or maybe doing things more genteelly with a trumped-up treason rap?'

'Nothing. Nothing at all. It's a risk that both of us take.'

'Hey, that makes me feel a lot better.' I picked up the wine cup again and took a good swallow. 'And I like the both.'

Livia sighed. 'Corvinus, I told you. I bet on certainties. You're quite safe from Sejanus. At least if you keep out of his laundry basket from now on.'

'Is that right? And what makes you so sure, Excellency?'

'Because you don't matter,' she said gently. 'You're like my grandson Claudius, a useless, divine idiot who will never in a million years amount to anything.'

I stared at her with my jaw hanging. Jupiter! Not even my father had ever called me that. 'Hey, thanks,' I said at last. 'Thanks a bunch.'

The tone didn't faze her. 'Oh, dear,' she said. 'Now I've insulted you, and I'm sorry. But I'm telling you how you appear to Sejanus, which is the important thing. You're not political, Corvinus, you pose no threat in yourself. You're not even especially rich. In fact, you're beneath his notice altogether, and killing you wouldn't be worth either the trouble or the risk. Stay as you are — and especially keep away from dirty laundry — and you'll stay alive.'

'Until the next time.'

'Until the next time. But then you'll have to choose your moment. You'll have to choose it very carefully indeed, because you won't have a second chance and I very much doubt if I'll be around to help you. I can do no more than wish you luck.'

There wasn't anything else to say. I stood up, drained the wine cup — even the Caecuban tasted sour — and set it on the desk. She could clear up after me for a change.

'Oh, and young man?'

I turned, on my way to the door. I felt used, like a pair of second-hand sandals. Worse, the bitch would still be using me long after she was dead.

'Yeah?' I said.

'Thank you. Thank you very much. In case we don't see each other again.'

I left without replying. Divine idiot. That had really hurt. Especially since it put me on a par with Claudius. The lily-smelling Hermes was waiting to escort me back to the exit. Maybe I'd gone up a little in the world since my last visit, but I doubted it: the guy was probably going that way anyway. The street outside the palace gates was cold, despite the sunshine. I wrapped my cloak round me and set off for home.

Ah, well. At least this time I was ahead a cup of Caecuban.