Coventina Read Free Page B

idea where they are from. I have no idea where they are arriving at. I only know they are speaking fluent Latin from the days of the Roman Empire, and one of them has an obsession with Coventina.”
    “I bet they will like pizza.”
    “How can they not like pizza?”
    “Please order, I must go pee.”
    Denise reached for her iPhone when she noticed someone from the class she briefly attended a year earlier wave to her from a far table. She waved back and smiled. He walked over to her table. “Hello, Denise right?” he said.
    “Good memory, Gary right?”
    “Good memory. How have you been?”
    “Ok, how about you?”
    “Going to do some sculpting this summer.”
    “Really? I was thinking the same thing. Taking a crash course in a language at the moment.”
    “Which one?”
    “Latin, the Latin the Romans used. It’s intense.”
    “Whoa. Why Latin?”
    “I know huh, study a language no one uses anymore?”
    “You know my roommate speaks it perfectly. As a matter of fact she may be a Latin scholar.”
    “See how popular it is?” Denise laughed.
    When Layla returned to the table Denise introduced them to each other. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Gary,” she said.
    “Layla, Gary was telling me his roommate is a Latin scholar, speaks it fluently.”
    “Well, there’s one other person we’ll be able to share it with,” Layla laughed.
    “Here Gary, give her my number and ask her to give me a call,” Denise said.
    “I will Denise. It was great seeing you again. Have fun trying your hand at sculpting.”
    “Thanks, you do the same.”
    “Now I gotta go pee,” Denise laughed.
    “Food tastes better when you don’t have to pee.”
    “Oh yeah.”
    When Denise returned to the table the pizza had arrived.
    Midway through the pizza an incoming message had her reeling. “Oh not during dinner.”
    “Bad timing,” Layla said, reaching into her bag to pull out a pad and paper.
    “Thanks. Ready?” Denise asked.
    Layla nodded.
    “Same message. Basically Quintus arriving soon, searching for Coventina. Wait,” Denise motioned for her to write. “Membra sumus legionem nonam.”
    Layla waited patiently. “Think that’s it?”
    “Yeah. Just put it away, I’ll deal with it later,” Denise sighed.
    They finished eating, paid and got up to leave. When they stepped out of the restaurant, Gary was opening the door to a car. “Hello, again,” Denise said when they walked by.
    “Oh hey, Denise, what timing. This is my roommate I was telling you about, Denise Lucilla, Lucilla, Denise.”
    “Lucilla, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Denise said.
    “Denise is studying Latin,” Gary said.
    “Really? And I thought I was the only one in Southern Illinois who knew Latin,” Lucilla smiled.
    “I hear you’re a real pro.”
    “You hear well.”
    “Hi, I’m Layla. What does this mean?” she said, handing Lucilla the pad she had just written the latest new message on.
    “Interesting. It says, we are members of the ninth legion.”
    Lucilla handed the pad back to Layla. “Thanks,” Layla smiled.
    “See you around.”
    “Goodnight.”
    Denise asked Layla to stop for some ice cream before they headed home. “Members of the ninth legion?”
    Layla just shook her head looking somewhat puzzled.
    “Well I am not going to let it keep me from enjoying this rich delicious malt,” Denise said.
    Both of them could not help wondering what it all meant as they headed south on Highway 51.
     
     
     
6
    Ninth
     
    The better part of a week had passed. In that time, Denise and Layla finished their language lessons. They commissioned Lucilla to tutor them and enhance their communication skills. She arrived daily in the mid-afternoon and would stay for hours. She was also quite the authority on all things Roman, a ‘walking history book’ as Layla put it. She knew all there was to know about the Ninth Legion, certainly one of the most popular. She seemed genuinely delighted that anyone else would take an interest not