The Many Lives of Sexta Sertorius
Chapter Five

Caffa - 1357

Quintus' reminiscences over Sexta's early life were interrupted by a handsome young man in his late teens bursting through the door.

'I know what's going on…' panted Gerolamo Piambo.

'Gero,' exclaimed Sexta, surprised but also evidently pleased by his sudden appearance.

'What is it that you believe you know, Gerolamo?' It shouldn't have been possible to pronounce the boy's name to rhyme with "libidinous interloper who I am only not killing out of deference to Sexta's feelings", but somehow Quintus managed it.

'I know what's happening here, Dr Sertorius.' Gero said. 'And I want to be a part of it.'

He continued, nervous but resolute. 'I know that when I come in to be treated... That is, when all your patients consult with you and you prescribe bleeding… I know that it is Sexta biting us…'

Quintus and Sexta both gasped.

'…and I want to let her.' He finished with a sigh, as if he'd been practising the monologue and wouldn't take a breath until he'd reached the end of the script.

Sexta moved to his side, which only made Quintus' demeanour towards him even colder.

'All my patients leave here in good health and my bleeding methods are the most benign in the city,' he said tightly.

'Oh yes,' agreed Gerolamo eagerly, 'everyone says so. But I know that it is Sexta. I've been coming twice a month since I was eight, sir. I know that it's her teeth that mark me and I know that it's your blood, Dr Sertorius, that is the potent elixir you give us a drop of, at the end of the cure. I believe that it is that, rather than the bleed itself, that gives us the feeling of wellbeing and has rendered your patients resistant to the Black Death and other agues…

'…And, sir, I want to volunteer. I don't want the blindfold any longer.'

There were more gasps.

'And I don't need your blood, sir. I've been well for a year – I know it's your daughter, doctor, please don't try to convince me otherwise. I'm not stupid. I just want to help her. There's no need to pretend with me anymore. I haven't told anyone else, sir, not even Claudia. And I won't. I'd never put Sexta in danger. I want to help.'

By the time he finished this, more spontaneous, speech, Sexta was standing in front of him and holding his hand in grateful adoration.

Quintus growled softly.

He had only recently begun to find the boy annoying. When he and Sexta were very young children, Gerolamo had been the only one who tolerated her boisterous play. From an early age, her unnatural strength had made her unpopular with other girls but as Gero was eight years older than her, he could easily cope with her physicality. In time, she learnt to control it but the friendship continued. They both seemed to enjoy the companionship and Quintus was pleased that she could have something like the kind of childhood denied to him. Unfortunately, Gero seemed to become aware of Sexta as a woman at roughly the same time as Quintus did. He was always respectful of both of them. That hadn't changed, but Quintus could tell from certain alterations in blood flow, that Gero had begun to have more adult feelings for his ward.

Quintus had fooled himself so well and for so long that he had become foolish. He had been so careful not to form a parental bond with Sexta. He'd even given her a number instead of a name – "Sexta", the sixth Born. He'd been congratulating himself on his wisdom and the success of his schemes when she had arrived home the other day looking every inch the young woman she was growing into. The realisation had jolted something inside him - like a lightning strike to his throat. And now their friend and neighbour had forced his hand.

'If you do allow anyone into our secret,' Quintus calmly informed Gerolamo, 'I will kill you. If you EVER put Sexta in danger, I will kill you. If you disappoint or betray Sexta, I will kill you…'

'Quintus…No…' protested Sexta.

'Leave us,' he commanded quietly.

'I will not.' She folded her arms.

'LEAVE US,' he bellowed in a sudden fury. 'NOW!'

Despite being startled, even frightened, by this uncharacteristic flash of anger, she turned, and huffed and stomped her way out, slamming the door in case anyone had any doubts that she was going under sufferance.

Quintus watched her go and turned back to the cowering boy. 'If you cause Sexta a moment's physical or emotional pain through any action or omission of yours, I will unscrew each of your limbs and insert them slowly through a selection of your bodily orifices that were intended solely for output rather than input. I will finish with your ears. Do you understand me?'

While most of Gerolamo's brain capacity was taken up with ensuring his output sphincters remained tightly closed, it nevertheless occurred to him that his ears were primarily input organs. Fortunately, he had enough intellectual function in reserve to realise that pointing this out to Quintus would be an extraordinarily bad idea. He did try to speak though.

He made a noise like a very quiet, 'Eeeeeeeeeppp.' Quintus bent his head trying to force Gero's downturned eyes to meet his. The boy tried again, 'Snrglth,' he managed this time, making Quintus narrow his eyes. He stepped back a little to allow the boy to breathe.

Eventually, Gero collected himself enough to speak coherently, if slightly unsteadily. 'Sir, I would never hurt your daughter. Sexta is my whole world.'

Taken aback by this simple statement, Quintus straightened.

'Is she truly?' asked Quintus, genuinely curious.

'Yes, sir,' Buoyed by his love, Gero's head was now high, his voice firm and sincere and he held Quintus' gaze resolutely.

'Your whole world?'

'Yes, sir.'

'She is not mine,' Quintus said baldly, turning away as if ashamed by the confession. 'Sexta is the most important person in the world to me but she is not the entirety of it.'

He could remember too clearly, too vividly. He had travelled that path before and knew that unbearable grief and pain lay down it. It was still unclear how much of a strix Sexta was. She might yet prove to be mortal. He feared to expose himself to loss again and tried to believe it was strength not cowardice.

Gero's voice intruded on his thoughts. 'Are you sure?'

He didn't answer but looked speculatively at the young man. If Sexta liked the boy, then she should have a chance to be someone's everything. After examining Gero at length, he came to a decision.

'You will train with us tomorrow.'

'I'll be here at dawn, sir.'

'At dusk,' Quintus corrected.

'Yes, sir.'

'Go, now.'

Gero ran from the room, grinning with delight and met Sexta in the passageway. She'd been trying to listen at the door with indifferent success. He took both her hands in his and said feelingly, 'Your father is very protective of you.'

There came another imperious, 'Go!' from the room, so Gero squeezed Sexta's fingers affectionately and left.

Sexta watched the young man go and turned back to the study, wanting to speak to Quintus, to reconcile with him before they parted for the night. He stood in the doorway and held her gaze for a fleeting moment before shutting the door, quietly but with inescapable finality. Sexta sagged.