The Racing Factions by Robert Fabbri

eyes.
    Magnus looked up; he was surrounded by a sea of silent Green supporters staring in incomprehension at the one man in their midst who derived pleasure from a Red one-two-three. Magnus lowered his arms and shrugged apologetically at the nearest Greens. ‘We did come fourth.’ He sank down, hyperventilating in relief and then tried but failed to suppress the urge to vomit.
    Magnus and Euprepes stood under one of the great arches of the Circus Maximus looking out over the Forum Boarium at the Racing Factions packing up for the day. Echoing off the stone all around were the cries of support and howls of disappointment of the people of Rome watching the final race.
    ‘As soon as my lads get back with all our winnings I’ll be off, my friend,’ Magnus said, proffering his forearm to Euprepes. ‘The South Quirinal Crossroads Brotherhood is four thousand aurii better off from all the bets we spread around. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.’
    ‘And I’m a few hundred thousand in silver better off because of your idea, Magnus.’
    ‘It may have been my idea, but I shall be giving the credit to someone unsuspecting.’
    ‘You give the credit to whomever you want but the fact remains that between us we are the first people to have fixed a one-two-three without anyone noticing.’
    ‘Us with a little help from the gods.’
    ‘Gods? I didn’t notice any gods being involved.’
    ‘What about the wheel coming off at the last moment?’ Euprepes raised his eyebrows. ‘At just the right time, you mean?’
    ‘Yeah, if that wasn’t the gods, I don’t know what it was.’
    ‘Mechanics, my friend. The charioteer had a strap around his right foot; a sharp jerk pulled a bolt from the axle and the right wheel came off at just the right time. The other chariot had one too but didn’t need to use it.’
    ‘But . . .’ Magnus frowned, looking puzzled for a few moments, and then his expression gradually brightened in dawning realisation. ‘Oh, I see! I’m sorry I doubted you, that’s brilliant, Euprepes; those last two chariots were always meant to be last.’
    ‘Exactly. How else could we absolutely guarantee to have two chariots in front of the winners unless they were about to be lapped; and then, when an accident happens . . .’
    ‘Like a wheel falling off, for example?’
    ‘That’s a very good example, Magnus, it happens all the time. When an accident happens we can’t be accused of deliberately crashing into the winners to fix the race.’
    ‘And all bets must be honoured.’
    ‘Indeed. And I didn’t have to risk my best horses in a deliberate crash. My worst two teams had no problems being in the right position, almost a lap behind, by the end of the race.’
    ‘You could say they made it look easy.’
    Euprepes grinned and turned to go; then he paused. ‘Oh, by the way, I’ll overlook your mate Lucius giving you highly confidential information.’
    Magnus hid his surprise. ‘That’s very good of you.’
    ‘Next time you want information like that, come directly to me. Even after sparing Lucius, after what I’ve won today, I’m still in your debt.’
    ‘I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, Euprepes, but I consider you to be the kindest and most understanding of men.’
    Senator Gaius Vespasius Pollo did not look like a man who had won a lot of money as he waddled down the steps from the senators’ enclosure soon after the completion of the last race.
    ‘Did you not get your bet on, sir?’ Magnus asked as he and his brethren began the arduous job of escorting him home through the race-day crowds.
    ‘I did, Magnus; I put down all my winnings from the Green one-two the other day on the basis that what I won today would be a sufficiently large bribe to perhaps interest Ahenobarbus in backing Sabinus in the elections. I laid Ignatius’ promissory note of two hundred in gold with him and the two hundred in gold coinage I laid amongst the other three bookmakers; they were