Tessera - Ochre
Inside the warehouse, Farid breathed in cool air. The thick stone walls protected the rows of amphorae filled with olive oil. Everything was as it should be. He turned and walked out of the warehouse into the sunlight.
He pulled a tablet covered with vellum from his belt and made a mark with a piece of charcoal. His master, Quintinus, had insisted that he make a mark for every warehouse he checked. It was simple, he didn’t have to count, just make a mark. The warehouse overseer tallied his marks. If they equaled the number of warehouses, Farid was done.
He pushed the heavy timber warehouse door until it was closed. He slid the locking timber across the groove in front of the door until the timber rested in a diagonal across the door. Then he bent down to the lock at the
