The Gods of war

CHAPTER 7

Seeing Brundisium without the usual bustle of merchant and legion galleys was strange for such a key port in the south. When Brutus crested the last hill with the exhausted guard cohorts, he was disappointed not to find anything larger than a lobster boat tied to the quays. He tried to remember if he knew the quaestor of the port and then shrugged to himself. Whatever small contingent of Roman soldiers was stationed there would not be able to interfere. Outside of Rome herself, there was nothing in the south to trouble them.

The guards followed him down to the port, ignoring the stares and pointing fingers of the workers there. It was a strange feeling for most of them, but Brutus was familiar with hostile territory and fell back into the attitudes of Gaul without really thinking about it. The sight of soldiers would have brought a sense of peace and order only a short time before, but with a looming civil war they would be feared as much as any other band of scavengers. It was unpleasant to see the faces of those who stepped aside for the two cohorts of guards. Even with all his experience, Brutus could not ignore a subtle discomfort and found himself growing increasingly irritable as he led the column through to the import buildings on the docks. He left them there in the sun as he dismounted and strode inside.

The quaestor's clerk was on his feet, arguing with two burly men. All three turned to face him as he entered and Brutus saluted lazily, knowing his arrival had been the subject of their debate.

"I need food and water for my men," he said abruptly. "See to that first. We will not trouble you for long, gentlemen, so put yourselves at ease. I want to find a ship to take me to Greece."

As he mentioned his destination, he noticed the clerk's eyes flicker to a piece of parchment on his desk and then back up, guiltily. Brutus smiled, crossing the room. The dockworkers moved to block him and he dropped a casual hand onto his sword.

"You are unarmed, gentlemen. Are you certain you'd like to try me?" he asked.

One of the men licked his bottom lip nervously and would have spoken, but his companion tapped him on the arm and they both edged away.

"Very good," Brutus said to them, letting his hand fall. "Now then, food, water and… a ship."

He reached down to the desk and gripped the clerk's bony hand, moving it firmly off the papers. Brutus took the sheaf and scanned them quickly, letting each fall until he came to one midway through the pile. It was a record of a legion galley that had landed at the port just the day before to replenish its freshwater barrels. There was little detail to be gleaned from it. The captain had returned from the north according to the record and set sail after only a few hours in Brundisium.

"Where was he heading?" Brutus demanded.

The clerk opened his mouth and closed it, shaking his head.

Brutus sighed. "I have a thousand men standing on your docks. All we want is to leave here without trouble, but I am not patient today. I can give the word to set fire to this building and anything else you value. Or you can just tell me. Where is this galley?"

The clerk bolted for a back room and Brutus heard the clatter of his sandals as he rushed up a flight of stairs. He waited in uncomfortable silence with the two dockworkers, ignoring them.

A man wearing a toga that had seen better days came down the steps behind the clerk. Brutus sighed at the quaestor's appearance.

"Provincials," he murmured under his breath.

The man heard him and glared. "Where are your letters of authority?" the quaestor demanded.

Brutus stared at him, focusing on a food stain on the man's robe until he flushed.

"You have no right to threaten us here," the quaestor blustered. "We are loyal."

"Really? To whom?" Brutus asked. The man hesitated and Brutus enjoyed his discomfort before he went on. "I have two cohorts going to join Pompey and the Senate in Greece. That is my authority. Your clerk was good enough to show me the records and a galley passed through here yesterday. Tell me where they were heading."

The quaestor fired a poisonous glance at his hapless servant before coming to a decision. "I spoke to the captain myself," he said reluctantly. "He was on patrol off Ariminum when the message reached him to come in. He was going to land at Ostia." He hesitated.

"But you told him that Pompey had already left," Brutus said. "I imagine he would want to join the fleet by sailing around the south coast, meeting them halfway. Does that sound like the conversation you remember?"

The quaestor stiffened at the tone. "I had no new orders for him. I believe he may have put to sea to deny the value of his ship to… rebel forces."

"A sensible man," Brutus said. "But we are loyal to Pompey, sir. We need that galley. I expect such a thoughtful captain would have told you his next port in case the right person came asking. Somewhere further south, yes?"

As he spoke, he watched the clerk's eyes and saw them shift guiltily. The quaestor was a far better gambler than his servant, but he caught the glance and the muscles stood out on his jaw as he considered what to do.

"How do I know you are not with Caesar?" he asked.

The question had a far greater effect than the quaestor could have intended. Brutus seemed to grow slightly, making the little office feel smaller and oppressively hot. The fingers of his right hand drummed for a moment on the silver breastplate, the noise startlingly loud in the silence.

"Do you think I have a secret password for you?" he snapped. "A special sign to show I am loyal? These are complicated days. There is nothing more I can say to you, except this. If you do not tell me, I will burn this port to the ground and you in it. I will have my men bar the doors and listen to you scratching at them. That is all I offer." He stared the quaestor down, knowing there would be no hint of a bluff in his eyes.

"Tarentum. He said he would make a landing at Tarentum," the clerk said, breaking the tension.

The quaestor was visibly relieved to have had the decision taken from him, but he still raised his fist in reaction, making the clerk flinch. Brutus looked for some hint that they were lying, but he was satisfied and then ignored the pair, calculating quickly. Tarentum was a port he could reach in just a few hours of hard riding across an isthmus the galley would have to sail around.

"Thank you, gentlemen; your loyalty will be rewarded," he said, watching their fear and confusion as they digested his words. He supposed it would be much the same all over Roman lands very soon, as the question of allegiance became more and more important. Civil war engendered a distrust that had already begun to eat at the foundations of their world.

Outside in the sun, Brutus watched the cohorts fill their waterskins from a well in reasonable order. He was tempted for a moment of wildness to have them burn the port as he had threatened. After all, it could well be one of those Julius would use to send a fleet to Greece. He did not give the order, preferring not to send a column of smoke to show their position. There was also a little pride in wanting Julius to make the crossing as soon as he could. Brutus needed just a few months to establish himself in Pompey's forces, and after that Julius could come and be welcome.

"Seneca, there's a legion galley heading for Tarentum. I shall ride there. Follow me when you have found provisions."

Seneca looked at his men and his mouth became a firm line.

"We have no silver to pay for food," he said.

Brutus snorted. "This is a port without ships. I'd say the warehouses are full of whatever you need. Take what you want and come after me as fast as you are able. Understood?"

"Yes, I suppose-"

"Yes, sir," Brutus snapped. "Then you salute as if you know what you're doing, understood?"

"Yes, sir," Seneca replied, saluting stiffly.

Brutus led his mount over to the well and Seneca watched irritably as he moved amongst the guards with an ease Seneca could only envy. He saw Brutus make some comment and heard their laughter. The general was a hero to men who had done nothing more than keep road forts safe for Rome. Seneca felt a touch of the same admiration himself and wished he could find a way to start again.

As he watched Brutus mount and trot out onto the southern road, Seneca felt the men look to him for orders once more. He realized that few others of his generation had the chance to learn their trade from a veteran of Gaul. He approached the group around the well, as he had seen Brutus do. It had not been his practice to mix with them and they glanced at each other, but then one of them handed him a waterskin and Seneca drank.

"Do you think he'll find us a galley, sir?" one of the men asked.

Seneca wiped his mouth. "If he can't, he'll probably swim across, towing us behind him," he replied, smiling to see them relax. It was such a small thing, but he felt more satisfaction in that moment than he could remember from all his tactical drills.

Brutus galloped across the scrub grass of the southern hills, his eyes steady on the horizon for his first glimpse of the sea. He was hungry, tired, and itching under his armor, but if the galley was making only a brief stop at Tarentum, he had to push himself on. He did not dwell on what he would do if the captain had gone. The longer Brutus was on land, the more the danger increased, but there was no point worrying. In his years in Gaul, he had learned the mental trick that allowed him to ignore what he could not control and bring his full weight onto levers he could move. He cleared his mind of the problem, concentrating on making the best speed over rough ground.

It surprised him that he felt responsible for the guards. He knew better than Seneca what would happen if Julius caught them. They had all taken solemn vows not to fight for Pompey, and Julius would be forced to make an example. No doubt he would shake his head at the horror of it all before giving the order, but Brutus knew Julius was a general first and a man only rarely, when it profited him. The guards were inexperienced and out of their depth in the power struggle. They could very well be ground into bloody ash between the two sides, casualties of the civil war before it had properly begun. The ship had to be there, waiting for them.

It was easy to dream of the future as Brutus rode, taking the most direct route through rocky fields and valleys. If he arrived at Pompey's camp with two cohorts, he would have influence from the first moment. Alone, he would have to rely on Pompey's whim as to whether he was given a command. It was not a pleasant thought. Pompey would not dare to trust him at first and Brutus knew there was a chance he would find himself in the front line as a foot soldier. The silver armor would draw Julius's Tenth like moths and he would never survive the first battle. He needed Seneca's men even more than they needed him, perhaps.

The countryside to the south of Rome was a far cry from the lush plains of the north. Small farms survived by growing olives and thick-skinned lemons on twisted wooden skeletons, all wilting in the heat. Thin dogs yapped around his horse whenever he slowed, and the dust seemed to coat his throat in a thick layer. The sound of hooves brought people out from the isolated farmhouses to watch suspiciously until he was off their land. They were as dark and hard as the ground they worked. By blood, they were more Greek than Roman, the remnants of an older empire. No one called to him and he wondered if they ever thought of the great city to the north. Somehow, he doubted it. Rome was another world to them.

He stopped at a small well and tied the reins to a stunted tree. He looked for some way of reaching the water, his gaze resting on a tiny house of white stone nearby. There was a man there, watching him from the comfort of a rough bench by his door. A small dog sat and panted at his feet, too hot to bark at the stranger.

Brutus glanced impatiently at the sun. "Water?" he called, holding cupped hands to his mouth and miming drinking.

The man regarded him steadily, his eyes taking in every detail of the armor and uniform. "You can pay?" he said. The accent was hard, but Brutus understood him.

"Where I am from, we do not ask payment for a few cups of water," he snapped.

The man shrugged and, rising, began to move toward his door.

Brutus glared at his back. "How much?" he demanded, reaching for his purse.

The farmer cracked his knuckles slowly as he considered. "Sesterce," he said at last.

It was too much, but Brutus only nodded and dug savagely amongst his coins. He passed one over and the man examined it as if he had all the time in the world. Then he disappeared into the house and returned with a stitched leather bucket and a length of rope.

Brutus reached for it and the man jerked away with surprising speed. "I'll do it," he said, walking past him toward the dusty well.

His dog struggled to its feet and wandered after him, pausing only to bare yellow teeth in Brutus's direction. Brutus wondered if the civil war would touch these people. He doubted it. They would go on scratching a living out of the thin soil, and if once in a while they saw a soldier riding past, what did that matter to them?

He watched the farmer bring up the bucket and hold it for the horse to drink, all at the same infuriatingly slow speed. At last, it was passed to Brutus and he gulped greedily. The cool liquid spilled down his chest in lines as he gasped and wiped his mouth. The man watched him without curiosity as he took his waterskin from the saddle.

"Fill this," he said.

"A sesterce," the man replied, holding out his hand.

Brutus was appalled. So much for honest country farmers. "Fill the skin or your dog goes down the well," Brutus said, gesturing with the sagging bag.

The animal responded to his tone by pulling its lips back in another miserable show of teeth. Brutus was tempted to draw his sword but knew how ridiculous it would look. There wasn't a trace of fear in the farmer or his mongrel, and Brutus had the unpleasant suspicion that the man would laugh at the threat. Under the pressure of the open hand, Brutus swore and dug out another coin. The skin was filled with the same slow care and Brutus tied it to his saddle, not trusting himself to speak.

When he was mounted, he looked down, ready to end the conversation with some biting comment. To his fury, the farmer was already walking away, winding the rope around his arm in neat loops. Brutus considered calling to him, but before he could think of anything, the man had disappeared into his house and the small yard was as still as he had found it. Brutus dug in his heels and rode for Tarentum, the water sloshing and gurgling behind him.

As he headed out of the valley, he caught his first scent of a salt breeze, though it was gone as soon as he had recognized it. It was only another hour of hard riding before the great blue expanse came into sight. As it always had, it lifted his spirits, though he searched in vain for a speck that would mean the galley was out. Seneca and his men would be marching behind him and he did not want to have to dash their hopes when they finally arrived at the port.

The land grew harsher before the coast, with steep tracks where he was forced to lead his horse or risk falling. In such an empty place, he thought it safe enough to remove his armor, and the breeze cooled his sweat deliciously as he strode panting up the last slope and looked at the little town below.

The galley was there, at the end of a thin pier that looked as rickety as the rest of the place. Brutus thanked all the gods he could think of and patted his mount's neck excitedly before taking a long drink from the skin. The land seemed to suck the moisture out of him and the sun was fierce, but he didn't care. He mounted again with a whoop and began to trot down the hill. Pompey would understand his value, he thought. Letters would be sent to all the legions mentioning the Gaul general who had chosen honor and the Senate over Caesar. They knew nothing of his past except what he would tell them, and he would be careful not to boast or to reveal his old mistakes. It would be a new start, a new life, and, eventually, he would go to war against his oldest friend. The sun seemed darker at that thought, but he shrugged it off. The choice was made.

The sun was going down by the time Seneca arrived with his two cohorts. The bustle aboard the galley had increased as the soldiers and crew made ready to sail. It was a relief to see Brutus talking to an officer on the wooden pier and Seneca realized how much he had been depending on the man.

He halted the cohorts, painfully aware of the scrutiny of the galley crew as they coiled ropes and heaved the last of the freshwater barrels up the planking and into the hold. This time, his salute was as perfect as he could make it and both men turned to him.

"Reporting, sir," Seneca said.

Brutus nodded. He seemed angry and a glance at the galley captain told Seneca he had interrupted an argument.

"Captain Gaditicus, this is Livinius Seneca, my second in command," Brutus said formally.

The captain didn't bother to look his way and Seneca felt a surge of dislike amidst the pleasure at his new title.

"There is no conflict here, Captain," Brutus continued. "You were heading for Ostia to pick up men such as these. What does it matter if you cross to Greece from here?"

The captain scratched his chin and Seneca saw the man was unshaven and looked exhausted.

"I was not aware that Caesar had come back to Rome. I should wait for orders from the city before-"

"The Senate and Pompey gave you orders to join them, sir," Brutus interrupted. "I should not have to tell you your duty. Pompey ordered these men to Ostia. We would be with him now if we had not been forced to cut across country. Pompey will not be pleased if you delay my arrival."

The captain glared at him.

"Don't flaunt your connections, General. I have served Rome for thirty years and I knew Caesar when he was just a young officer. I have friends in power I can call on."

"I don't recall him mentioning your name when I served with him in Gaul," Brutus snapped.

Gaditicus blinked. He had lost that particular contest. "I should have known from the armor," he said slowly, looking at Brutus in a new light. "But you're going to fight for Pompey?"

"I am doing my duty. Do yours," Brutus said, his temper fraying visibly. He had had about enough of the opposition that seemed to spring up at every stage of this endless day. He looked at the galley rocking gently in the waves and ached to be leaving the land behind.

Gaditicus swept his eyes over the column of men waiting to board. All his life he had followed orders, and though it smelled wrong, he knew he had no choice.

"It will be tight, with so many. One storm and we'll go down," he said with the last of his resistance.

Brutus forced a smile. "We'll manage," he said, turning to Seneca. "Take them on board."

Seneca saluted again and went back to his men. The pier shivered underfoot as the column approached and the first ranks began to clamber up the gangplank onto the wide deck.

"So why will you be fighting against Caesar? You did not say," Gaditicus murmured.

Brutus glanced at him. "There is bad blood between us," he replied, with more honesty than he had intended.

Gaditicus nodded. "I wouldn't like to face him myself. I don't think he has ever lost a battle," he said thoughtfully.

Brutus responded with a flash of anger, as Gaditicus had hoped he would. "The stories are exaggerated," he replied.

"I hope so, for your sake," Gaditicus said.

It was a little revenge for having been forced to back down, but he did enjoy Brutus's expression as he looked away. Gaditicus remembered the last time he had been in Greece, when a young Caesar had organized attacks on the camp of Mithridates. If Brutus had seen that, he might have thought twice before choosing Pompey as his master. Gaditicus hoped the arrogant general in his silver armor would be taught a harsh lesson when the time came.

When the last of the guards were on board, Gaditicus followed them, leaving Brutus alone on the dock. The sun was setting in the west and Brutus could not look in the direction of Rome. He took a deep breath as he straightened and stepped onto the deck, gently moving on the swell. He had left them all, and for a while he could not speak for the memories that overwhelmed him.

The ropes were coiled and hung as the galley moved out onto the waters, the chant of the slaves at their oars like a lullaby beneath his feet.