4. GREECE 12th Century #5
“Uneasy with revealing his true nature as a w—as a mystic, Cassander shrugged and deflected the question with one of his own.”
The Romani witch caught himself and quickly replaced the word “witch” with “mystic,” unsure of how his audience would react to the former.
Discussing magic, sorcery, and mysticism from the ancient days of gods and demigods was one thing, but witches had been so maligned over the centuries by the Church that the very word carried a heavy stigma.
Even considering the recent events in the town and how accepting these people were of magical outsiders, the Romani witch believed presenting his story as more fanciful was less incendiary.
“After giving his name, Cassander asked Anestis how an Egyptian had come to be in Pompeii, a city that held such hostility toward foreigners.
“Anestis smiled knowingly, fully aware his new friend had avoided answering his question. Suspecting the mystical nature of the answer, he chose not to press further, allowing Cassander to reveal himself in his own time.
“Instead, he stated that he was the son of a senior centurion, a well-respected career soldier in the Roman legion. His grandfather had fought at the Battle of Actium alongside Marcus Agrippa when Rome annexed Egypt—which Anestis said his mother called Kemet—and made it an imperial province. Anestis’ father had not been home in over two years, always off fighting in some skirmish or another.
“Anestis’ exotic appearance was inherited from his beautiful mother, an Egyptian woman his father met during an early military tour in Alexandria. They fell in love and married despite the strong objections of his father’s Pompeian family, but, being the firstborn son, his father did as he pleased.
“Anestis and his foreign-born mother lived comfortably due to his father’s wealth.
However, neither of them received acceptance or warmth from anyone on his father’s side, especially as they all openly hated his red hair, thinking it a bad omen, a sign of wickedness. Most of Pompeii tolerated them at best.
“This was a sentiment that the Romani boy understood all too well.
He heard the nasty whispers and sensed the sideways glances, the subtle shift in the atmosphere whenever he entered the city, as if the air grew heavy with unspoken judgments and wariness.
The Pompeians showed an uneasy tolerance of the Romani family, who had set up a permanent camp outside the city walls; their disdain was ever etched on their faces.
“Cassander and Anestis got off the ground and embraced each other, the Romani boy telling the half-Egyptian he very much liked his uncommon red hair.
An affection quickly grew between them, filling the spaces in their hearts that had long felt hollow.
A profound friendship was forged in this moment through laughter, a few shared secrets, and an unspoken understanding of who they were as fellow outsiders.
“Still, the Romani boy had yet to discover one of Anestis’ most well-guarded secrets. But he soon would.”
The Romani witch snickered, knowing the secret of Aeneas’ magic that he would soon reveal through the fictional character Anestis . He did fear it might cause a stir, but he was prepared for it.
“But all was not to remain tranquil for the two new companions,” the Romani witch loudly declared, his head moving back and forth among the beguiled crowd, staring into their tense faces.
“What Cassander had ignored, or perhaps innocently forgotten, though neither reason mitigated consequence, was the most important tenet of magic. It is the first lesson taught to all who seek to wield mystical power. And do you know what that tenet is, my friends?”
Though many in the audience shook their heads in confusion, there were just as many who nodded, their faces solemn and grim.
“All magic comes with a price to be paid! And to employ the darker side of sorcery, like curses, even for a good cause, carried a higher cost than most, especially to one as young as Cassander, who lacked experience in properly wielding such dark spellwork.
“What the two youths could not have known was that below the very ground they stood upon, at the base of Vesuvius, buried deep in the mountain’s fertile earth and asleep for centuries, lay one of the many offspring of—”
Once more, the Romani witch took a moment to create a dramatic pause.
“—the Erymanthian Boar!”
Anastasios, Nicholas, Astraia, and everyone else within earshot gasped in shock when the beast was named.
“Yes, I see from your astonished faces, good people, that you all know the legend of the Twelve Labours of the demigod Heracles, the greatest of the Greek heroes.”
Even though he was from Italia, the Romani witch intended to show respect to his audience by using the gods’ Greek names and not their Roman ones.
“Hera, the ever-faithful wife of ever-unfaithful Zeus, had tormented and tried to kill Heracles from the moment he was born.
Though named for her, an attempt at honouring the goddess, he insulted her instead; he was not her child.
In a fit of madness that Hera had induced, the demigod tragically killed his wife and children.
“Seeking atonement, Heracles went to the Oracle of Delphi and prayed to the god Apollo for guidance. He was instructed to serve Eurystheus, the king of Mycenae, for ten years and perform a series of challenging feats: the Twelve Labours. Heracles’ fourth labour involved capturing the man-eating Erymanthian Boar and bringing it alive to Eurystheus.
“Few are aware that the great boar sired offspring throughout its long life, with each boarlet being almost as large, vicious, and brutal as its parent. One of these progeny was captured and sold to an Etruscan warlord, who transported it across land and sea to ancient Pompeii for sport.
“Upon its arrival in the city, the goddess Artemis freed the beast in a self-serving act, intending to hunt the creature herself.
“Hecate, goddess of magic, seeking to play a trick on the bloodthirsty Olympian, cast a sleeping spell on the boar and concealed its massive body in the earth at the foot of Vesuvius.
As time passed, Artemis lost interest in hunting the beast, and the boar remained under its magical enchantment, unable to awaken, deep within the earth of a foreign land.
“However—!”
Anastasios cried out, “What? Tell us!” The dramatic pauses were wreaking havoc on his nerves; he was deeply invested in the story.
The Romani witch turned, smiled at his new friend, winked, and continued.
“ However , this all changed when Cassander’s spellwork unexpectedly reversed, bringing misfortune back to him. This was the price of performing magic wildly without proper incantations, sigil casting, or the raw power needed to suppress the cost.
“The earth began to tremble violently, sending shivers throughout the bodies of the two boys. A low, menacing rumble echoed from within the earth’s dark depths as if the very heart of Vesuvius was awakening from a long slumber.
But it was not the mountain awakening! The surrounding air whispered of ancient forces stirring the dormant soil.
Hecate’s spell had finally broken! Bad luck for the two boys, indeed.
“Before Cassander and Anestis could get their bearings, the ground beneath them erupted, the force of the disturbance sending the two boys flying in opposite directions.
The massive boar, mad with hunger and rage in its bloodshot eyes, violently shook off the chunks of soil clinging to its pelt.
Deep growls and grunts escaped its tusked maw.
“Sprawled out on the ground, having landed not far from the enraged beast, Cassander lay motionless, his heart pounding as he took in the creature’s fierce gaze and its aggressive pawing at the ground.
Overwhelmed by fear, he found himself without any magical solutions to his terrifying predicament.
No spell or conjuration came to mind that might save him and his new friend. His only friend.
“And Cassander carried no weapon! Not that he knew how to wield one, for he had never gone hunting with his father, remaining within the caravan, always studying his spells and rituals.
A heavy cloak of fear and indecision enveloped him, immobilizing him as if Medusa the Gorgon had turned him to stone.
“And when the massive boar charged him, its mighty tusks gleaming menacingly in the sunlight, Cassander was certain that he and Anestis were destined for a brutal, bloody death.”
Many audience members showed wide eyes and gaping mouths, expressing deep concern for the story’s two leads, while others, all men, wore smiles of anticipation, eager for blood and brutality; Greeks were well known for their love of tragedy and drama.
“Anestis, however,” the Romani witch continued, his voice smooth and crisp, “had no such dark and defeatist thoughts. He had already picked himself up off the ground and brushed himself off. He stood firm and fearless, showing no signs of hysteria.
“As he saw the boar charging Cassander, Anestis quickly reached for his dagger, and when it was clasped tightly in his hand, he began cutting himself. Quick, shallow cuts along his arms and legs, dozens of them, and as he slashed himself, he spoke ancient Egyptian words. His methodical actions exuded a quiet strength that contrasted sharply with Cassander’s paralyzing panic.
“Now, this ornate blade was no conventional weapon but a potent talisman that assisted Anestis in channelling his magic, a sorcery taught to him by his mother—Egyptian blood magic!”
The inebriated crowd balked loudly at the mention of that sort of sorcery. Some even spat on the ground. The hostile response to the Romani witch’s revelation unfolded as he had expected.