The Gates Of Rome

CHAPTER 20

Marcus viewed the busy port with mixed feelings as it grew before him. The Lucidae maneuvered nimbly through the ancient stones that marked the edge of the wild sea and the calm lake of the harbor itself. A host of ships accompanied them, and they had had to stand off from the harbor for most of the morning until a harassed pilot took a boat out to guide them in.

At first, Marcus had thought nothing of the month at sea, considering it with as much interest as he might consider a walk from one town to another. Only the destination had been important in his mind. Now, though, he knew the name of each one of the small crew and had felt their acceptance after that night spent drinking on the prow. Even the return of Firstmate to light duties hadn't spoiled things with the men. Firstmate, it seemed, bore no grudges and even seemed proud of him, as if his acceptance by the crew were in some way his doing.

Peppis had never stopped sleeping in corners on the decks at night, but he had filled out a little with the food Marcus saved for him, and the beatings had stopped by some unseen signal amongst the men. The little boy had become a much more cheerful character and might one day be a sailor, as he hoped.

To some extent, Marcus envied the boy; it was freedom of a kind. These men would see all the ports of the known world while he marched over foreign fields under the baking sun, carrying Rome always with him.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to sift apart all the strange scents on the sea breeze. Jasmine and olive oil were strong, but there was also the smell of a mass of people again-sweat and excrement. He sighed and jumped as a hand clapped onto his shoulder.

"It will feel good to get land under our heels again," Renius said, staring with him into the harbor town. "We'll hire horses to take us east to the legion and find your century to get you sworn in."

Marcus nodded in silence and Renius caught his mood. "Only memories stay the same, lad. Everything else changes. When you see Rome again, you'll hardly know it and all the people you loved will be different. There's no stopping it; it's the most natural thing in the world."

Seeing Marcus wasn't cheered, he went on.

"This civilization was ancient when Rome was young. It's an alien place to a Roman, and you'll have to watch their ideas of soft living don't spoil you. There are savage tribes that raid across the border in Illyria, though, so you'll see your share of action. That got your interest, did it?" He laughed, a short bark. "I suppose you thought it would be all drill and standing in the sun? Marius is a good judge, lad. He's sent you to one of the hardest posts in the empire. Even the Greeks don't bend the knee without a good deal of thought, and Macedonia is where Alexander was born. This is just the place to put a bit of strength into your steel."

Together they watched as the Lucidae eased against the dockside and ropes were thrown and tied down. In a short while, the little trader was tethered securely and Marcus almost felt sorry for her sudden loss of freedom. Epides came out on deck dressed in a chiton, a traditional Greek tunic worn at knee length. He glittered with jewelry and his hair shone with oil in the sun. He saw the two passengers standing at the side waiting to disembark and walked over to them.

"I have grave news, gentlemen. A Greek army has risen in the north, and we could not put in at Dyrrhachium as planned. This is Oricum, about a hundred miles to the south."

Renius tensed. "What? You were paid to put us down in the north, so that we could join the lad's legion. I-"

"It was not a possibility, as I said," the captain replied, smiling. "The flag codes were quite clear as we neared Dyrrhachium. That is why we have been following the coast south. I could not risk the Lucidae with a rebel army drunk on broken Roman garrisons. The safety of the ship was at stake."

Renius grabbed Epides by his chiton, lifting him up to his toes.

"Damn you, man. There's a bloody great mountain between here and Macedonia, as you are well aware. That is another month of hard travel for us and great expense, which is your responsibility!"

Epides struggled, his face purpling in rage.

"Take your hands off me! How dare you accost me on my own ship? I'll call the harbor guards and have you hanged, you arrogant-"

Renius shifted his grip to a ruby on a heavy gold chain around Epides's neck. With a savage jerk, he broke the links and tucked it away into his belt pouch. Epides began stuttering with incoherent anger and Renius shoved him away, turning to Marcus as the man fell sprawling onto the deck.

"Right. Let's get off. At least we can afford to buy supplies for the trip when I sell the chain."

When he saw Marcus's gaze flick behind him, Renius spun and drew his sword in one motion. Epides was lunging with a jeweled dagger, his face contorted.

Renius swayed inside the blow clumsily and ripped his gladius up into the man's smooth-shaven chest. He withdrew the blade and ran it over the chiton in quick wipes as Epides fell to the deck, writhing.

"Drunk on broken garrisons, was it?" he muttered, struggling to sheathe the sword. "Damn this scabbard-won't stay still…"

Marcus stood stunned at the quick death, and the nearby members of the crew gaped at the suddenly violent scene. Renius nodded to them as the gladius slid home.

"Get the ramps down. We have a long journey ahead of us."

A section in the side was opened and plank gangways were put down to allow the cargo to be unloaded. Marcus shook his head in silent disbelief. He checked his belongings for the last time and patted his sides, feeling again the loss of his dagger, which he'd given to Firstmate the previous evening. He had known it was the right thing to do somehow, and the smiles of the crew as the man had shown it around had told him he had made the right choice. There were no smiles now and he wished he'd kept it.

He pulled his pack onto his shoulders and helped Renius with his.

"Let's see what Greece has to offer," he said. Renius grinned at his sudden change in mood, walking past the twisted body of Epides without looking down. They left the Lucidae without a backward glance.

The ground moved alarmingly under his feet and Marcus swayed uncertainly for a few moments before the habit of years reestablished itself.

"Wait!" a voice called behind them. They turned to see Peppis coming down the ramp in a flurry of arms and legs. He pulled up breathlessly, and they waited for him to calm enough to speak.

"Take me with you, sir," he said, looking beseechingly at Marcus, who blinked in surprise.

"I thought you wanted to grow up to be a sailor," he said.

"Not anymore. I want to be a fighter, a legionary like you and Renius," Peppis said, the words rushing out of him. "I want to defend the empire from savage hordes."

Marcus looked at Renius. "Have you been talking to the boy?"

"I told him a few stories, yes. Many boys dream of being in the legions. It is a good life for a man," Renius replied without embarrassment.

Peppis saw Marcus waver and pressed on. "You'll need a servant, someone to carry your sword and look after your horse. Please don't send me back."

Marcus shrugged his pack from his shoulders and handed it to the boy, who beamed at him.

"Right. Carry this. Do you know how to look after a horse?"

Peppis shook his head, still beaming.

"Then you will learn."

"I will. I will be the best servant you ever had," the boy replied, his arms wrapped around the pack.

"At least the captain can't object," Marcus said.

"No. I didn't like the man," Renius replied gruffly. "Ask someone where the nearest stables are. We'll move on before dark."

The stables, the travelers' resting house, the people themselves, were a peculiar mixture to Marcus. He could see Rome in a thousand small touches, not least the serious-faced legionaries who marched the streets in pairs, looking out for trouble. Yet at every step he would see something new and alien. A pretty girl walking with her guards would speak to them in a string of soft gibberish that they seemed to understand. A temple near the stables was built of pure white marble as at home, but the statues were odd, close to the ones he knew, but with different faces cut into the stone. Beards were much in evidence, perfumed with sweet oils and curled, but the strangest things he saw were on the walls of a temple devoted to healing the sick.

Half- and full-size limbs, perfectly formed in plaster or stone, hung on the outer walls from hooks. A child's leg, bent at the knee, shared the space with the model of a woman's hand, and nearby there was a miniature soldier made from reddish marble, beautiful in its detail.

"What are those?" Marcus had asked Renius as they passed.

"Just a custom," he said with a shrug. "If the goddess heals you, you have a cast of the limb made and presented to her. It helps to bring in more people for the temple, I should think. They don't heal anyone without a little gold first, so the models are like a sign for a shop. This isn't Rome, lad. They are not like us when you get down to it."

"You don't like them?"

"I respect what they achieved, but they live too much in the glories of the past. They are a proud people, Marcus, but not proud enough to take our foot off their necks. They like to think of us as barbarians, and the highbred ones will pretend you don't exist, but what good is thousands of years of art if you can't defend yourself? The first thing men must learn is to be strong. Without strength, anything else you have or make can be taken from you. Remember that, lad."

At least the stables were like stables anywhere. The smell brought a sudden pang of homesickness to Marcus, and he wondered how Tubruk fared on the estate and how Gaius was handling the dangers of the capital.

Renius patted the flank of a sturdy-looking stallion. He ran his hands down its legs and checked the mouth carefully. Peppis watched him and mimicked his action, patting legs and checking tendons with a serious frown on his face.

"How much for this one?" Renius asked the owner, who stood with two bodyguards. The man had none of the smell of horses about him. He looked clean and somehow polished, with hair and beard that shone darkly.

"He is strong, yes?" he replied, his Latin accented but clear. "His father won races in Pontus, but he is a little too heavy for speed, more suited for battle."

Renius shrugged. "I just want him to take me north, over the mountains. How much are you asking?"

"His name is Apollo. I bought him when a rich man lost his wealth and was forced to sell. I paid a small fortune, but I know horses, I know what he is worth."

"I like him," Peppis said.

Both men ignored the boy.

"I will pay five aurei for him and sell him after the journey is over," Renius said firmly.

"He is worth twenty and I have paid for his feed all winter," the trader replied.

"I can buy a small house for twenty!"

The trader shrugged and looked apologetic. "Not anymore. Prices have gone up. It is the war in the north. All the best ones are being taken for Mithridates, an upstart who calls himself a king. Apollo is one of the last of the good stock."

"Ten is my final offer. We are buying two of yours today, so I want a price for both."

"Let us not argue. Let me show you another of lesser worth that will carry you north. I have two others I could sell together; brothers they are, and fast enough."

The man walked on down the row of horses, and Marcus eyed Apollo, who watched him with interest as he chewed a mouthful of hay. He patted the soft nose as the continuing argument dwindled with distance. Apollo ignored him and reached back for another mouthful, pulled from a string sack nailed to the stable wall.

After a while, Renius returned, looking a little pale.

"We've got two, for tomorrow: Apollo and another one he called Lancer. I'm sure he makes the names up on the spot. Peppis will ride with you; his small weight won't be any trouble. Gods, the prices these people ask for! If your uncle hadn't provided so generously, we'd be walking tomorrow."

"He's not my uncle," Marcus reminded him. "How much did they cost us?"

"Don't ask and don't expect to eat much on the journey. Come on, we'll pick the horses up tomorrow at dawn. Let us hope that the prices for rooms haven't risen as high, or we'll be sneaking back in here when it gets dark."

Continuing to grumble, Renius strode out of the stables, with Marcus and Peppis following him, trying not to smile.