Sejanus

14

I was almost clear of the Janiculan and heading along the path towards Trans-Tiber when the guy stepped out in front of me from behind a rock. I was lucky; I had a moment to duck, and the iron bar just brushed the top of my hair and clipped my left shoulder. As I drew my knife I was thinking, Oh, shit, not again! This was my second visit to the Janiculum in ten years and I'd been mugged both times. It seemed I'd only to set foot across the Sublician for the word to go out to the local yobbos that Corvinus was out to play.

At least this time I'd give myself better odds. Ten years back there'd been three of them, all professionals, and although this guy was big he was no Suburan hard-man. Most of him was flab, and he was breathing heavily already. He'd hesitated when he saw the knife, losing the advantage, and now we were standing staring at each other like actors who've forgotten their lines.

'Boo,' I said at last.

He scowled — no sense of humour, these amateurs — and swung the iron bar on a collision course with my left temple: predictable as hell, and years too late. I ducked into the swing and took him in his exposed side, but the jerkin he was wearing turned the knife and it only cut leather. We grappled, and I straightened up and drove the top of my head hard into his chin. His head snapped back and he let go, falling away from me and lashing out with the bar as he went. The tip caught the blade of my knife and sent it clattering out of sight among the stones somewhere to the left.

Bugger! I backed off quickly. It had been a fluke, sure — Ganymede was looking as surprised as I was — but it left me knifeless and facing three feet of iron thicker than my thumb. Not the best of scenarios, and it served me right for being cocky. Ten years ago I could still have taken him without breaking sweat. Now I wouldn't've liked to bet any more which of us would come out the other end. He moved forward, grinning now and breathing hard, while I started thinking about which way to dive and whether or not I could kick his kneecap loose when I did…

'Hey! You stop that!' The shout came from behind me. I wasn't fool enough to look round, but Ganymede's head went up and his grin slid away like oil off a hot griddle. Then he turned and ran. Fast: he may not' have been able to fight for nuts but where running was concerned he could've given a hare lessons. I stooped for a rock and flung it at his head, but it fell miles short.

'After him, Lamprus!'

I turned round finally just as something that was just arguably human hurtled past me and threw itself along the path. Gods! If that was Lamprus then I wished the other guy luck, iron bar or not. Then I saw who'd been doing all the shouting. A prim little man in a neat lemon tunic was picking his way carefully across the open ground towards me. If this was what I had to thank for saving my life, I thought, then it was positively embarrassing.

'You're hurt, sir?' he said when he reached me.

'No.' I massaged my shoulder where Ganymede's first attempt at taking my head off had caught it. 'No. I'm okay.'

'Isis be praised! What a brute!' He was sweating worse than I was; I could see the beads of moisture glistening among the thin strands of hair combed carefully across his bald scalp. 'A dreadful experience. Simply dreadful.'

'I've had worse.' I was looking around for my knife. I found it eventually wedged between two stones, far enough away and invisible enough to have ruled it out if I'd really needed it. 'Thanks, friend. He'd've had me cold if you hadn't come along.'

'Don't mention it, sir. We're only too glad to have been of service.' He took a napkin out of his tunic and mopped his forehead. 'The authorities really ought to do something about these footpads. Nights are bad enough, but when a gentleman can't walk the public streets in daylight without being set upon there's something sadly wrong with the world.'

'The Janiculan's hardly the Market Square,' I said. I could've added, And that guy was hardly an ordinary footpad, but I didn't; it would only have led to questions. I wiped the knife and slipped it back into its sheath.

'No, that's true. Even so…' He looked beyond me. 'Ah. Here's Lamprus back. I don't think he caught your friend. Did you, Lamprus?' The man-mountain gave a negative grunt and came over to stand beside him. It was like watching a warship docking. 'A shame. He's willing, sir, but he's no Pheidippides. Still, we'd better see you safely through Trans-Tiber just in case.'

'Thanks, but there's no need for that. I'm fine now.' I frowned; something smelt fishy here, although I couldn't quite say what. 'Uh, by the way, I didn't catch your name.'

He paused and smiled. 'Felix.'

'A freedman?'

'Yes, sir.' He ducked his head.

'Whose?'

'I used to belong to Sextus Titius Sabinus, sir.'

Uh-huh. The smell of rotten fish was getting stronger. I knew the name, sure I did. Sabinus was one of the men on my original shortlist, the close friend of Agrippina set up by a crowd of informers and executed for treason three years back. Now here was one of his freedmen jumping up out of nowhere with a tame gorilla in tow, just in time to save my neck for me. Neat; too neat. Coincidences like that happen, but I'd bet a year's income to a pitted olive that this wasn't the time. Felix and his big pet had been shadowing me.

'Titius Sabinus?' I said. 'Is that so?'

'Yes, sir. That is so.' His eyes met mine. They were grey and candid; and very, very smart.

'Sabinus is dead,' I said. 'Who do you work for now?'

'Myself, mostly. Although I still have connections with the family, of course.'

I folded my arms and grinned. 'Nuts. I don't believe you, pal. Not about working for yourself, anyway. You want to try again?'

There was a long silence while we stared at each other. I had the impression he was laughing, although his face was perfectly serious. Finally he took a deep breath and said, very slowly and carefully:

'No. Not really, Valerius Corvinus.'

So he knew my name, and he'd used it quite deliberately. Scrap coincidence, he'd been tailing me right enough. The only surprising thing was that he should give the game away straight off and so easily; and in that case maybe he could tell me a bit more. I uncrossed my arms and took a step forward.

Lamprus growled deep in his throat.

'I don't think, sir,' Felix said quietly, 'that that is a terribly good idea.'

My spine went cold and I backed off quickly. The rumbling subsided. Yeah, well, perhaps the guy had a point.

'You sure you don't want a second shot at telling me who your current boss is?' I said.

'Quite sure.' A half-smile. 'I'm sorry.'

'That's okay. Just checking.' I glanced at Lamprus. 'Is that thing safe?'

'Reasonably. Although he does tend to get overexcited.' He paused. 'What I will say, sir, is that I work for someone who has an interest in your continued survival.'

Yeah. That much I'd worked out for myself. 'That's nice to know, pal, but I like to know my friends' names. Are we talking about one of the Julians? Or maybe Arruntius or Lamia? Or someone else altogether?'

'Perhaps.'

Jupiter! I'd met looser clams. 'You care to tell me which?'

'That, unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to say.' His mouth drew itself into a prim line. 'Honestly, sir, I hate prevarication as much as you do and I really didn't envisage this conversation taking place at all. I find this whole affair most embarrassing.'

'You and me both, sunshine,' I said. Personally, I was finding it totally weird, and my head was beginning to spin. Maybe Ganymede had clipped me with his iron bar after all, and somehow I'd missed it.

'Also,' the little guy continued, 'I've been given very strict instructions which it's more than my life's worth to disobey. And I don't mean that figuratively. Isn't that so, Lamprus?'

The seven-foot gorilla grunted. Maybe it was a reply, but it could've been wind. I hadn't heard him speak yet, and I doubted if he included it in his repertoire of talents. Maybe he'd never learned, or lost the knack somehow.

'So your being Sabinus's freedman was a lie as well?' I said.

Felix looked shocked. 'Oh, no, sir! Most certainly not! I was his slave for many years. Lamprus also. In fact…' Felix stopped. 'No, perhaps I shouldn't say any more.'

'Hey, don't mind me! Talk away! Feel free!'

'I'm sorry,' he said firmly. 'I've talked quite enough already. My fault entirely. Lamprus, I think we should leave the gentleman before I exceed my brief totally. You agree?' The giant grunted again and Felix turned back to me, looking prim as hell. 'My apologies, sir. I'm simply not used to secrecy, you see, and I find it very uncongenial. I'm an open person normally, as I hope you appreciate, and I've been as frank with you as my instructions permit, but anything further would not be in anyone's interest, least of all my own. I'm pleased to have been of service, and happy that you escaped relatively unscathed. If you don't mind, we'll leave it at that.'

Gods, I didn't believe this! In a way, I was glad Lamprus was there to stop me shaking more out of him. Not that I kidded myself it would've been easy. Soft as Felix seemed, if push came to shove I suspected he'd simply refuse to talk altogether and I'd've felt guilty as hell putting the squeeze on him, whatever the result.

'Yeah. Yeah, okay.' I took a gold piece from my purse and held it out. 'Forget it. Here, friend. With my thanks'

Felix looked shocked. 'Oh, we really couldn't take that, could we, Lamprus?' A negative grunt. 'We will, however, see you back safely to the Sublician as per our instructions. From a suitable distance, of course. Good luck, sir, with your investigation. A pleasure to have met you, even under these unfortunate circumstances.'

'Wait!' I laid a hand on his arm. Lamprus growled, and I dropped it. 'One more thing. You know who that guy was? The one who attacked me?'

'No.' I got a look that was completely bland. 'I've no idea.'

Like hell he didn't. 'Yeah, well, forget that too.' I turned away, then back as a thought struck me. 'Oh, by the way and just out of interest. Your name isn't really Felix, is it? And when he's not running down muggers the Last of the Titans here doesn't answer to Lamprus, either?'

I knew as soon as I'd said the words that I'd hit the bull. Not that he seemed put out at all. In fact his face lit up in a huge smile.

'No, sir,' he said. 'Oh, well done! You're quite correct, these are not our proper names. Could I ask how you knew?'

I couldn't help smiling back. 'Just a hunch.'

'A very perspicatious one, then. Although it was lucky for you that I came along, wasn't it? And although Lamprus isn't exactly bright he really is rather splendid.'

I laughed. Puns, now. I was beginning to like Felix, or whoever the hell he really was: Lampros is Greek for 'bright' or 'splendid', just as Felix means lucky. So much for putting Bathyllus on a name hunt along the slave grapevine, which I would've done as soon as I got back.

'Thanks again,' I said. 'This time for saving me some effort.'

He nodded. 'Don't mention it, sir. A pleasure.'

I moved off down the path towards the road and the river. I was sorry I probably wouldn't be seeing this little guy again. He was smart, and he had a sense of humour. He'd shown himself a pretty good tail, too: Jupiter knew how long he and his pal had been following me, but I'd never even suspected they were there, and if it hadn't been for the attack I still wouldn't know. Also, for someone who'd claimed to be totally wet behind the ears in the sneaky tricks department he'd done all right; better than all right. Forget the wide-eyed innocent pose, he'd told me just exactly as much as he'd wanted to, truth or lies, whichever, without making me feel he was holding anything back. That had taken real brains, and more than a pinch of downright sneakiness.

In which case before I was much older I'd make a point of finding out more about Titius Sabinus. Whether Felix had told the truth there or not, I'd bet a jug of Caecuban to a week-old mussel that handing me the name had been no accident.

I got home an hour later. There was a note waiting for me from Lippillus asking me to meet him on the Esquiline.

Someone had smashed in Vibius Celsus's skull.