Chapter 6

“Psst” whispered a voice in the corner, “come here. I have to tell you something”

“What?” whispered Aqueus.

“My master wishes to have a pipe from the aqueduct for his private purposes”

“Then he needs to arrange with Domignus to have it done. There is a set fee.”

“Ok, I will give you 3 gold coins to do it and when you have I will give you 27”

“The fee for having a pipe is 1000 denari 755 before and 255 after that does not equal 30 gold coins it equals 1000.”

“I can arrange 50 gold coins”

“NO!” shouted Militerrus (who had been hidden in the shadows) “Who is your master? Tell me now or I will rip your head off”

“Domignus, sir. It is for his house, sir. He could not do it himself he is too stingy and someone might find out, sir, that is why,” replied the voice. It hesitated for a minute and then continued, “I will tell you a secret if you will spare me. He is Burdien. He has the gold flecks in his eyes and so he has ignus magia.”

Both Militerrus and Aqueus gasped, and said together “then he started the fire”. They looked at each other. They were strangers and thought they had never met before but now had a common bond.

They walked the slave to the prison, then set out to the House of Domignus.

They slipped in quietly. Domignus was sitting on the ground beside a pool. There was a small fire in front of him. When they entered, he somehow made all the flames leave the wood and fly straight at them. Aqueus somehow made some of the water jump out of the pool and put it out. The rest he poured onto Domignus and down his throat. Militerrus made the ground suddenly cave in beneath Domignus. Cracks radiated from a hole that gradually vanished until there was just a damp depression on the ground. All the water had gone down the hole with Domignus.

“Dead” said Militerrus, “the ground crushed him.”

“The water entered him and put out his fire and quenched his heart. He is dead” said Aqueus then in an awed whisper. “Did you know you could do that?”

“No” replied Militerrus.

“Me neither” said Aqueus.

They began to leave…..