Hero of Rome

XV

The following day he woke before dawn and joined legionaries of the Londinium garrison in the fortress exercise yard. An hour sweating with the practice sword had become as much part of his life as eating and drinking and he’d reached a stage where he enjoyed the small agonies which accompanied pushing his body to the very limit. He knew Lunaris was unlikely to arrive until late afternoon and while he laboured against his opponent’s shield he decided to spend the morning at the public baths, down by the waterfront close to the inn where he had arranged to meet the duplicarius. There he spent a few pleasant hours listening to desultory and no doubt scurrilous gossip in the baths and wondering at the good fortune that had allowed him the pleasure of the caldarium and the tepidarium twice in as many weeks after so long an abstinence. Later, a slave oiled his body before scraping the skin clean with a sharp-edged strigil, and by the time he emerged he felt more relaxed than he’d been for months.

Still surrounded by a pleasurable euphoria, he reached the tavern, happy to see that it hadn’t been subsumed in one of the many building projects going on around it. It occupied the ground floor of a three storey insula and was identified by an amphora hanging at an angle from two chains above the doorway. A painted poster beside the open door advertised the finest imported wines, but Valerius knew that anyone who thought they’d find them in a place like this was destined to be disappointed. Inside, oil lamps flickered from the walls but seemed to produce more smoke than light. It was busy even at this hour of the day, as he’d guessed it would be. This was a sailor’s town and sailors between voyages only had two interests. Judging by the laughter and the high-pitched female squeals, both were available here. He took one last deep breath of relatively clean air and plunged inside.

Lunaris had made the choice, and Valerius could see why, but it wasn’t a place he would have selected for himself. The room he entered had a low ceiling and measured about thirty paces by fifteen, with five or six seated alcoves where a man might conduct his business in relative privacy. In another establishment the sight of an officer’s uniform would have caused a hush in the conversation, but here his fellow customers ignored his presence. A glimpse of scarlet in the gloom told him he was not the only army man among all these seamen. He pushed towards the bar through the crowd vying for the attentions of a few heavily painted and only partially dressed women.

‘What’ll you have?’

Lunaris had said the inn was owned by a retired legionary veteran who had sold up in Colonia and moved to Londinium. ‘I’m with the Twentieth,’ he said, as he’d been instructed.

‘I don’t give a bugger if you’re with the camel-humpers,’ the barman laughed. ‘What’ll you have?’

Oh well, it looked as if the place was under new ownership. ‘Whatever’s good.’

‘Now you’re talking. We had a shipment in from Sardinia last week. Cost you a couple of sestertii more for a jug, but you won’t regret it.’ He turned to go, but Valerius grabbed his sleeve.

‘If I do, I won’t be the only one.’

The man laughed, unconcerned at the threat. ‘Suit yourself. You’ll get a seat over there.’ He pointed to a darkened corner. ‘I’ll get the slave to bring it over.’

Valerius pushed his way to the corner and sat down with his back to a doorway which, from the smell, led to either the kitchen or the latrine — or possibly both. A young man with a cast in one eye brought him a jug filled to overflowing with dark liquid and placed a chipped cup beside it. The slave reached to pour the wine, but Valerius waved him away. He studied his surroundings, already regretting the impulse that had brought him through the door. The noise and the smoke after his hours at the baths made his head spin slightly. He’d just resolved to leave after a single drink when a slight commotion erupted behind him as two drinkers collided in the doorway with a muttered curse.

The sound of one of the voices rang a warning bell in his head and he half stood, reaching for the knife on his belt. Too late! An arm wrapped itself round his throat and he felt a calloused hand on the back of his head in a classic wrestling hold that he knew could snap his neck as if it were a dry twig. He tore at the arm with both hands, trying to break the iron grip that was already choking him, but the pressure on the back of his skull increased and his vision began to go. I’m dead, he thought. In the same instant, the grip slackened and as he gasped for breath a roar of laughter assaulted his ears. A tall figure in a red tunic stumbled into the seat opposite him and stared across the table with peering, reddened eyes.

‘Got a drink for an old pal, pretty boy? I’m just about out of cash. SLAVE! Slave! Another cup, and bring another jug while you’re at it.’

Crespo.

‘Thought I had you there, eh? Just one twist and — crack — you were a goner.’ The Sicilian chuckled. ‘Killed a man like that once. Looked as if he had his head on backwards. SLAVE! About time.’ The boy arrived with a second cup and another overflowing jug and retreated with a scared glance at Crespo as the Roman poured the wine carefully into the two cups.

‘ Ave! ’ He raised his cup in salute. ‘The Twentieth and victory.’ Reluctantly, Valerius picked up his own vessel and repeated the toast. ‘The Twentieth.’

‘And damnation to the Brits, and all their disease-ridden sluts.’

Valerius stared, but the grin on Crespo’s face never wavered.

‘Maybe I should have killed you. Caused nothing but trouble for old Crespo, you did, pretty boy. Had the legate on my back for a month. Might have been kicked out. But Crespo’s too clever for them.’ He tapped his nose. Valerius noted that it hadn’t set well; the axe blade now had a distinct notch in it. ‘Too clever. Got myself a transfer.’ For a second, the eyes glazed over and the centurion rocked back and forward from the waist, his head wobbling gently on his long neck. Crespo had clearly been in the bar for some time, possibly all night judging by the crumpled state of his clothing and the dark shadow on his chin. Valerius recalled the scene in the Silurian hut. It was as well he’d come across Crespo cheerfully drunk and in daylight.

The same thought had evidently occurred to his unwanted companion.

‘Maybe I should kill you,’ he growled, pulling a dagger from inside his tunic and stabbing it into the already scarred table top. The noise attracted the attention of everyone in the bar and Valerius saw the barman reach below his counter where he undoubtedly kept a large cudgel specifically for situations like this. He caught the man’s eye and gave a slight shake of his head. An unspoken question. You sure? Valerius answered by pinning Crespo with the friendliest grin he was capable of.

‘Why would you want to kill me? We had a little misunderstanding, that’s all. Things like that happen all the time in the heat of battle.’ He remembered the Silurian girl’s terrified eyes staring at him over Crespo’s shoulder. In one movement he could take the dagger by the hilt and put the blade through Crespo’s right eye. The centurion would be dead before he could blink. Everybody in the bar had seen Crespo pull the knife. There might be a few awkward questions but he’d worry about that later.

Crespo frowned. He had both hands on the table top and Valerius decided that if the right hand moved towards the knife he would kill him.

‘Misunderstanding? Sure. Heat of battle.’ The hand moved. But only as far as his cup. He took a deep draught and wiped the back of his hand across his lips.

‘Tell me about the transfer,’ Valerius suggested, hoping it was somewhere far away and very dangerous. Germania, or even Armenia would do. A couple of seasons playing tag with the Alamanni was just what Crespo needed.

‘Secret,’ Crespo said, tapping his nose again.

‘Old tent-mates don’t have secrets, Crespo. You know that. We’ve fought in the same shield line and shared a latrine bench. How could we have secrets?’

‘Procurator’s office. On his staff. He’s a miserable little shit, Catus Decianus, but he’s got the right idea. Squeeze them until they bleed.’ He paused and Valerius watched his brain fight the wine in his system. ‘You won’t tell anybody I said that?’

Valerius tried not to show his disappointment. The procurator’s office meant Londinium. Much too close. ‘What, that he’s a miserable little shit?’

‘Not that, the other thing. Squeeze them. It’s a secret.’

‘Squeeze who?’

‘Squeeze the Celts,’ Crespo said, as if the answer was obvious. ‘They’ve been feeding off Rome for years. Subsidies and tax breaks. While me and you were sweating and bleeding, they’ve been rolling in it. Now they want it back.’

‘Who wants it back?’

‘Big people.’ The centurion winked. ‘Powerful people. Subsidies and tax breaks. Only now they’re all loans.’

Big people? Powerful people? Just like Crespo to talk up his new job. He knew as much about subsidies and tax breaks as Valerius did, which was precious little. It sounded as if he’d got out of the Twentieth just in time and he seemed inordinately proud of his appointment. But what was he? Just another blood-sucking debt collector. So a few Britons had got behind with their tax payments? Maybe someone would have their farm taken away from them. Well, Crespo was just the man for that. But what really mattered at the moment was that he was drunk enough to be harmless and Valerius decided it would be better to keep him that way, at least until Lunaris arrived. He poured wine from the jug into the two cups, ensuring Crespo’s was full to the brim.

‘Tell me about Glevum…’

It was dusk when he left the bar, with Crespo staggering in his wake, banging from one side of the doorway to the other and muttering about vengeance. He still had his knife and Valerius considered taking him down towards the river and finding out whether he could swim with a bellyful of wine, but all he really wanted to do was get away from the man. Proximity to Crespo had left him feeling dirty. Every soldier had his dark places, but Crespo’s went to the very centre of Hades itself. The rape of the Silurian girl evidently hadn’t been the first. Not by a long way. And there were hints of even more terrible crimes.

‘Who’s the drunk?’ He looked up to see Lunaris lounging in the doorway of an apartment block opposite the bar.

‘An old friend. Don’t you recognize Centurion Crespo? And aren’t you supposed to salute an officer?’

‘Sir!’ Lunaris rapped his arm against his chest armour with elaborate ceremony.

‘I thought we were going to meet inside?’ Crespo had slumped against the wall of the tavern and Valerius removed the knife from his hand and threw it into an alleyway.

‘Didn’t fancy the company… sir.’

‘Mine or his?’

‘Not sure, sir. What are we going to do with him?’

The legionary’s tone made it more of a suggestion than a question. Maybe the river wasn’t such a bad idea. Valerius looked around. No. Too many witnesses, and if Crespo was truly on the procurator’s staff there’d be an investigation. He had a better idea. ‘Let’s give him a nice soft bed for the night,’ he suggested, pointing to a large midden that steamed noxiously beside a stable a few yards down the street.

They picked Crespo up between them and carried him to the dungheap.

‘Ready?’ Lunaris asked.

‘On three. One, two, three.’

Crespo’s body landed face down among the horse and mule shit, and, if Valerius was any judge, the contents of the owner’s latrine pit.

‘That’ll do nicely. He’s among friends,’ Lunaris laughed.

‘Wait.’ Valerius picked up a stick leaning against the stable door and prodded the manure around Crespo’s face until he had space to breathe. ‘No point in killing him.’

Lunaris snorted. ‘I wouldn’t be so sure about that.’

XVI Valerius, dearest son and a father’s pride, I greet you and salute you. Livius sends word that you are in good health and do your duty. Do not trouble yourself on behalf of your father; his joints may creak these days but he thrives like the olive trees on the southern slope beyond the river, a little more gnarled with each passing year, but still productive in his way. Granta and Cronus send their greetings, too.

The letter had followed him from Glevum and must have been written two months earlier. Valerius smiled as he read the opening again. A typical father’s missive to his son; replete with familial pleasantries but containing a rebuke in every line. The fact that Livius had sent word of his condition was meant to remind him that he had not. The creaking joints were a hint that his father was feeling abandoned. Granta and Cronus were the two freedmen who managed the estate. He struggled to find the hidden message in their inclusion, but he had no doubt it was there somewhere. He read on. I still await the reply from the Emperor in connection with my request for an appointment. It has been several months, I know, but I retain some hope of advancement and a resurgence in the fortunes of our family. The Emperor is a fine young man, with many responsibilities, but I have taken steps to ensure my application is brought before him.

Valerius felt his heart sink as he read the last sentence. Even in faraway Britain it was clear that dabbling in politics in Rome under Emperor Nero could be as dangerous as a night patrol in a Silurian swamp. His father had prospered thanks to his friendship with the Emperor Tiberius, but that had been long ago. He had only survived Caligula by retreating to the estate and resolutely ignoring the blandishments of every competing faction. There had been a brief revival under Claudius which ended with some indiscretion his father would never discuss, which had left him with an enduring hatred for the old Emperor’s freedman, Narcissus. Now was not the time to be making a political comeback. The problem was that Lucius believed he had friends at court.

I had a most pleasant encounter with your old tutor, Seneca, just the other day, and he brought me up to date with events in Rome and in the Senate. Valerius groaned. As a boy he had studied under the great man and the philosopher now owned an estate in the next valley to his father. Seneca, in his early sixties, could be a wonderful dinner companion, entertaining and erudite, fashioning arguments that could turn a man’s head inside out and have him debating against himself. He was also reckless and dangerous to know. One clever remark too many had lost him Caligula’s patronage and might easily have cost him his life. Yet just when his star was in the ascendancy again a flagrant affair with the now-dead Emperor’s sister, Julia Livilla, had seen him sent into exile by her uncle, Caligula’s successor, Claudius. Claudius’s wife Agrippina had rescued him from obscurity in Corsica to tutor her son, and now that same son ruled the Empire and Seneca sat at his side. Seneca advises that you consider leaving Britain at once — these things can be arranged, he says — and resume your legal career. It appears that your island province has not met the Emperor’s expectations. He sees only huge expenditure without tangible result and only his respect for his late stepfather’s achievements there maintains his interest. My friend fears that interest may not be indefinite. He hinted that if I had any investments in Britain it might be wise to withdraw them and direct them elsewhere. But my only investment is you, my son [Valerius imagined he could see a stain on the letter where a stray tear had dropped], and the thought of that investment ending its days on the point of some savage’s spear undoubtedly shortens a tenure already sadly decreased by life’s manifest burdens…

More of the same emotional blackmail followed before the letter descended into a catalogue of complaint directed against the weather, the slaves, the worthy Granta and Cronus who were the only reason the estate remained in profit, the price of olive oil, which was down, and the price of cattle feed, which was up.

Valerius put the letter aside before he had finished reading it, knowing it would undoubtedly end with another plea for his return to Rome. But his mind dwelt on the contents. The old man’s ambitions were worrying enough, but what about the hints of high politics? Could Nero truly be considering abandoning Britain? It seemed impossible that such an enormous investment in gold and blood should be cast aside so lightly. No, it was not possible. He was here, in Colonia, the tangible proof that Britain was Rome. A city with an emperor’s name and a god emperor’s temple at its heart. And Seneca’s suggestion that Lucius should withdraw his nonexistent investments: how did that square with what he had heard about the huge stake the philosopher had in the province? No, his father must have misunderstood.

Later, Valerius dispatched Lunaris to deliver the swords and shields to the militia armoury. ‘Then you can take the shovels out to the second century on the Venta road. You should be back by nightfall. Get a good night’s sleep. We’re going hunting in the morning.’

Lunaris gave him an old soldier’s look. ‘Hunting?’

‘You said you were bored mending roads.’

‘That depends what we’ll be hunting.’

‘Boar, I think.’

The legionary brightened. ‘And we get to eat what we kill? Where?’

‘On the estate of Lucullus, the Briton who is augustalis of the Temple of Claudius.’

Lunaris frowned. ‘Are you sure it’s only boar you’re after?’

Now it was Valerius’s turn to look concerned. ‘Why? What have you heard?’

The big man shrugged. ‘Just tent talk. You were out there the other day, and the quaestor, Petronius, was sniffing around, asking questions.’

‘You should have speared the bastard. What kind of questions?’

‘The kind of thing you toffs are interested in. Who your father is. If you have any friends in high places. Ask Julius. I only got it from his clerk.’

‘Who’ll lose the skin off his back if I have anything to do with it.’

Lunaris hid his smile. He knew Valerius wasn’t the type of officer to have a soldier whipped. The young tribune was an easy man to like and they’d become as close as people of their very different classes could become on the slow journey back from Londinium. Valerius had tied his horse to the ox cart and they’d walked together for most of the way. For all his ancient bloodlines and high education the tribune was a country boy at heart. He had pointed out animals and sign of animals that Lunaris, who had been brought up in the festering backstreets in the valleys between the seven hills of Rome, would never have seen without his help. A sleek otter gliding along the depths of a river pool with silver bubbles streaming from its flanks, and shy fallow deer peering from the shadows of a roadside copse. An old dog fox that crossed the road just ahead of them with one of his cubs in its mouth. Lunaris, in his turn, had told of surviving by his wits among the child gangs of the Vicus Bellonae in the Subura, stealing apples by sleight of hand or drawing a baker’s attention while a fleet-footed accomplice lifted a loaf that would be shared later. By the time they arrived outside Colonia’s gates they had become friends, which allowed Lunaris a certain leeway when they were alone. But he was a legionary and Valerius was a legionary officer and there were limits that both understood.

‘I’d best be going if I’m to be back by dark, sir,’ he suggested.

Valerius waved him away and set off in the direction of the west gate. The goldsmith’s shop formed part of a villa fronting the main street, not far from Lucullus’s townhouse. It didn’t look much from the roadway, but looks could be deceptive. A villa like this might take up an entire city block, with a labyrinth of dozens of interconnecting rooms and courtyards behind the unimposing facade. More likely it was less grand — Corvinus didn’t strike him as a man who needed to parade his wealth — but certainly enough to show that the former armourer had invested his pension and his talents wisely. The thought brought Lucullus to mind, and from Lucullus, Petronius. No doubt he had his reasons for asking questions about a lowly visiting tribune, but the quaestor ’s interest had planted a seed of concern.

Corvinus awaited him inside the shop as they had arranged. ‘Your business in Londinium was concluded successfully, I hope,’ he said politely.

Valerius mentioned the brand-new swords and shields he had prised from the quartermaster in the city, and the goldsmith’s face lit up. ‘You wouldn’t have got away with that in my day, but, by Mars’s beard, I thank you for it. That’s a dozen rusty spikes that call themselves gladii I’ll never have to put an edge on again, and a dozen shields only fit for the practice ground I can replace.’

Valerius smiled. ‘Is the work complete?’ he asked, changing the subject.

‘It is,’ Corvinus said. ‘I have it here.’ He reached up into the top row of a many-drawered cabinet behind him and pulled out a leather bag, which he placed on the counter between them. ‘I hope it is to your satisfaction.’ He picked at the drawstrings of the bag and poured the contents into his hand. ‘I could have fashioned something finer — added a chain perhaps — but the time…’ he said apologetically.

‘No. It is exactly what I wanted.’

It was perfect. Hanging from a thin cord of soft leather was the tiny figure, worked in gold, of a charging boar, a replica of the insignia which decorated the shields of the Twentieth. The craftsmanship was astonishingly delicate and Valerius could barely believe it had been created by the massive, workman’s hands which held it. The pendant shone with a lustre that belied its size and was an object of incredible beauty. It had cost him a month’s pay and was worth every sestertius, because it would not look out of place at a queen’s throat. By tomorrow night, he hoped, it would be hanging at Maeve’s.

‘I congratulate you,’ Valerius said. ‘The workmanship is the finest I have ever seen. But how…’

Corvinus might have been insulted, but he only laughed. ‘Sometimes a man spends a lifetime battering swords on an anvil, but knows deep inside that he has the skill to create finer things.’

Valerius paid the agreed sum and Corvinus placed the necklace carefully back in its leather pouch. ‘Your lady is very fortunate. Tell her to bring it back here and I will fashion a chain for it. Free of charge. I have not forgotten your handsome new swords. But, of course, she will be in Rome?’

Valerius picked up the pouch, and smiled his goodbye. ‘No,’ he said. ‘She is not in Rome.’

When he was gone, Corvinus reflected on the tribune’s final words, and chewed his lip. Should he have said something? No, it was none of his business.

Lunaris didn’t suit the horse. And the horse didn’t suit Lunaris. It was Valerius’s spare mount; a Gaulish mare with handsome thoroughbred lines and a playful nature made more playful by the fact that she hadn’t been ridden for more than a week.

‘Don’t keep tugging on the reins. She has a delicate mouth,’ Valerius admonished him, wishing he’d put the duplicarius on a pack mule instead.

‘I’ve got a delicate backside. If I don’t keep tugging on the reins she’ll be in Brigante country, and you’ll be hunting on your own.’

‘I thought you said you could ride?’

‘I said I had ridden,’ Lunaris announced with dignity. ‘I didn’t say I’d ridden a horse this big.’

Valerius tried to imagine the legionary on anything smaller. ‘When was that?’

‘When I was six or seven. But there are some things you never forget.’

Valerius studied him again, hunched low over the mare’s ears as if he could control her by sheer force of will. ‘Yes, there are some things you never forget,’ he agreed.

‘We won’t be hunting on horseback?’ said Lunaris worriedly.

‘I hope not.’

They arrived at Lucullus’s villa in the fine grey drizzle Valerius had come to realize was Britain’s standard morning welcome. Lunaris grunted with relief to see the hunting party waiting on foot, but Valerius suppressed a curse when he saw how they were dressed. A Roman officer’s dignity wouldn’t allow him to appear before his barbarian host in anything but full uniform, including his scarlet cloak. The dozen men awaiting them — he noted that they were all Britons — were dressed uniformly in clothing of brown and green: heavy cloth shirts and trews that would fend off the largest bramble, perfect for blending in with the landscape and thick with lanolin to keep out the rain.

‘At least we’ll be able to find each other,’ Lunaris muttered from his side.

‘Welcome, my friends.’ Lucullus emerged smiling from the house and Valerius was pleased to see he was accompanied by Cearan, the Iceni nobleman. He looked beyond the two men, searching for Maeve, but she was nowhere in sight. The Trinovante continued: ‘You have eaten, I hope? Good. We will not eat again until the eighth hour, but I have arranged to have food brought to us on the hunt. We are civilized people, you see.’

Valerius saw Cearan studying him with a sympathetic smile. He came close to the horse’s side and patted it on the flank. ‘A fine beast. From Gaul? Good for racing — and fighting — but not for hunting.’ He lowered his voice. ‘Like your uniform. If you and your comrade follow me indoors I believe I will be able to find you something more suitable.’

The two Romans glanced at each other and the handsome Celt recognized the look that passed between them.

‘Do not be concerned. Your fine weapons and armour will be safe under Lucullus’s roof. We are not all thieves, despite what your people seem to think.’

Valerius felt the heat of embarrassment on his face. ‘I’m sorry. We did not mean to give that impression. But we are soldiers and these things are precious to us.’

‘As they are to us,’ the Iceni said graciously. ‘I will place your sword beside mine and your helmet with my arm and neck rings.’

He led them to a room where they could change their clothes and showed them where to put their armour and weapons. Lunaris finished dressing first, grunting as he squeezed into a pair of checked woollen trews which struggled to fit around his substantial backside.

‘I’m putting you on half rations for a month,’ Valerius joked. ‘Get out there and find out what’s happening. I’ll join you in a moment.’

The shirt and trews were of heavier cloth than the equivalent Roman tunic and braccae, but he could move much more freely than in chest armour and a helmet. He left his gladius with his armour, but retained his belt and the short dagger attached to it. The belt also carried a small pouch and he carefully placed the leather bag with the boar amulet inside and ensured it was secure. He felt outlandish in the unfamiliar Celtic clothing and wished he had a mirror to see what he looked like, a thought he immediately banished. Fool. You look exactly like everyone else, only with shorter hair and no festering moustache.

He hurried into the corridor and collided with someone rushing the other way. His first sensation was of softness, then of strength: of warmth, followed by fear. Maeve gasped when her body felt the touch of his and her eyes widened with surprise when she saw the handsome young man in the familiar Celtic clothing. It took a moment for her to recognize Valerius. The look was quickly replaced by another that was gone before he could decide what it was. Valerius willed his legs to move, but for some reason they wouldn’t obey. His chest tightened and his flesh seemed to tingle in a way he had only experienced once before, when he was caught outdoors in a lightning storm. She wore her hair loose today, and her long dress was of dark blue wool, belted at the waist in a way that emphasized the weight of her breasts and the breadth of her hips.

He took a step back and bowed. ‘Maeve.’

She gave a little frown and lowered her head. ‘Tribune.’

He wanted to reach out and raise her chin so that she was looking into his eyes, and tell her that his name was Valerius, but all he said was: ‘Will you be joining us on the hunt today?’

The creamy skin of her forehead wrinkled slightly and he knew she was smiling. ‘Not all British women are the mighty Amazons of your mysteries, sir. We cook and we weave, but we do not hunt — or fight.’

‘I apologize.’ They seemed to be forever apologizing to each other. ‘You must think me uncultured.’

She raised her head and stared at him. ‘No, I do not think that.’

He reached for the pouch at his belt, but she sensed his purpose and placed her hand on his. The heat of her touch felt like a brand. ‘You must hurry. They are waiting.’

‘Will I…’

‘If the gods will it. Remember the owl.’

A shout from the doorway summoned him. He looked at her and nodded. Then he was gone.

She stared after him, trying to divine the conflicting feelings that raged within her; knowing they were the most dangerous of human emotions, but not which would win the fight.