Avenger of Rome

II

Valerius twitched the reins to steer the big gelding around a stationary cart. Portus, which Emperor Claudius had begun building at the Tiber mouth almost twenty years earlier and was still only half completed, must be the busiest port in the world, he thought. It was a bustling place of trade and commerce where wagons and packhorses thronged the streets and smaller boats scuttled like water beetles among the stately giants loading up for the grain convoys to the east. They had to ask twice before they were eventually directed to where their ship was docked.

‘By Mars’ sacred arse, will you look at that.’

Valerius reined the horse to a stop and followed his companion’s eye towards the vessel that waited to carry them to Syria. He would have expected a well-worn cargo ship, or at best a fast military galley to transport General Corbulo’s new second in command to his posting. This was anything but. It was larger than any normal merchant vessel, forty paces from elegant bow to angular stern, with a breadth of perhaps ten or twelve where the hull bellied out like a pregnant sow between them. Astonishingly, the ship was painted a bright gold, so that it shone like a jewel in the sunlight. The figure of a swan with wings outstretched was carved above the bowsprit. A substantial curtained awning had been set up behind the single central mast and a pair of twin steering oars projected from below a platform in the stern. As they watched, lines of slaves hurried up the gangplanks carrying assorted sacks and amphorae.

‘An imperial ship?’

‘Or a floating whorehouse?’ Serpentius offered.

‘Either way it can’t be for us.’

But he was wrong.

An ancient sailor burned almost black by the sun ambled up and gave an awkward salute. ‘Tribune Verrens?’ Valerius nodded. ‘My captain requests that you embark your horses and equipment within the hour. We sail as soon as our other passengers arrive.’

‘Other passengers?’

The man’s face took on the blank stare of a legionary on parade.

Valerius exchanged an amused glance with his companion. ‘Curiouser and curiouser. In that case send some slaves to unload the mules and get our mounts aboard.’ The two men supervised as the nervous animals were walked up the unfamiliar wooden gangplank and into the stifling darkness of the hold.

‘I’ll come down twice a day to make sure they’re properly fed and watered,’ Serpentius said as they returned to the deck. Valerius nodded. He wouldn’t like to be whoever was responsible if Serpentius discovered that the horses were neglected. The former gladiator was the most capable fighter he had ever known and a slave in name only. Part companion, part bodyguard, the wiry Spaniard wore his manumission on a leather loop round his neck and swore he would use it when he elected and not when some Roman decided it was time. They had been together almost three years and the first time they’d met, on the dusty surface of a gladiatorial practice ground, Serpentius had tried to kill him. The resentful eyes and shaven head with its patchwork of half-healed scars made men wary of him, and they were right to be. There would come a time when the gladiator needed to be told the true nature of his mission. For the moment, all he knew was that Valerius was travelling to a new appointment in Antioch.

They emerged into the sunshine to the usual organized chaos of a ship being prepared for sail — with one peculiar difference. Amongst the sailors loading last-minute provisions Valerius saw one man sprinkling water on the planking: perfumed water, if his nose didn’t mistake him, that masked but didn’t quite overcome the stench from the bilges and the familiar scents of sea salt, male sweat and new laid pitch. Serpentius shook his head, muttered something about being right about the brothel, and went off to check their equipment was properly stored. Valerius noticed a heavily built man in conversation with a young legionary officer. The older man looked up and they both hurried across to greet him.

‘Aelius Aurelius, magister navis,’ the captain introduced himself in a voice that would be useful in a howling gale. His accent marked him as a southerner, as did his looks. Dark, soulful eyes shone from heavy-browed features weathered to the colour of polished teak and his hair was styled in long ringlets. A thick gold ring hung from the lobe of his right ear. ‘My apologies for not welcoming you on board the Golden Cygnet, tribune. But if I take my eyes off these dogs they’ll turn the deck into a latrine.’

Valerius smiled at the exaggeration. He doubted if a single rope’s end was out of place in this ship. ‘Unless my nose is mistaken your deck smells more like a lady’s bedroom than a latrine, captain. I had expected a less elaborate transport.’

Aurelius’s laugh sounded like a seal barking. ‘She may look like a fat-bottomed old tart in her imperial livery, but she’s the sweetest sailing ship in the Mare Nostrum and can lie closer to the wind than most. You may thank your fellow passenger for the Emperor’s generosity.’

The young soldier noticed Valerius’s look of surprise and shook his head. ‘Please don’t think I’m the cause of all this, sir. Tiberius Claudius Crescens, junior tribune, on the way to join General Corbulo’s eastern forces, and may I venture to say that your fame precedes you.’

Valerius studied him for any hint of mockery. He’d seen the pink-cheeked soldier dart a glance at his sleeve, where the walnut-carved fist replaced his right hand, the only visible scar of his encounter with Boudicca. The boy was what the legionaries called ‘frontier fodder’, one of the young officers Rome sent to the farthest points of her Empire to learn fast or die fast. Tiberius had the plump, earnest face and bright eyes of a teenager, but he must be past twenty and well connected to have been given such a prestigious assignment. Eventually, to the younger man’s relief, Valerius smiled acceptance of the compliment. ‘Then who is responsible for our good fortune?’

His question was answered by a commotion on the far side of the harbour which alerted them to the arrival of a four-wheeled carriage escorted by a detachment of German auxiliary cavalry. The coach clattered over the cobbles and drew to a halt by the foremost gangplank.

‘About time,’ the Golden Cygnet ’s master grumbled. ‘I’d have preferred to wait until the next grain convoy east, but my sailing orders were specific. The only consolation is that we’ll have a pair of galleys from the base at Misenum to keep us safe from any sea scum as far as Creta. The gods be thanked that she sent her baggage in advance. Still, we should make Neapolis by nightfall. Say a prayer to Poseidon and we’ll be in Seleucia Pieria in twelve days.’ He let out a roar. ‘Ready the sails!’

The ship burst into life around them and Valerius watched as a slim figure in a blue veil dismounted from the coach and swept up the gangway accompanied by a pair of dark slave girls. The little procession was followed by another, older woman, and finally four of the cavalry escort relinquished their mounts and marched towards the ship. Tiberius Crescens laughed.

‘I almost forgot. I’m supposed to take command of her guard.’ He rushed for the top of the gangway, grinning over his shoulder. ‘The lady Domitia Longina Corbulo, the general’s daughter. It should certainly make the voyage interesting.’