Ruso and the Root of All Evils

83

Ruso and Tilla stood amongst the bewildered household, staring into the darkness after the four figures who had ridden away towards the gatehouse: one horse’s reins in the hand of another rider.

Tilla was complaining about him giving way and handing over the horses, but the pain in his foot was making it difficult to concentrate. He wished it would also take his mind off what might be happening to Claudia. Calvus had repeated his promise that she would be released unharmed, but that could have been a lie to ease their escape. No matter what excuses he made for himself, the truth was that he had failed her. This was how things had always been with Claudia. No matter how hard he tried, he could never quite -

Shouting. Coming from the gatehouse. Screams. Everyone else rushed towards the sound, leaving Ruso slow and exasperated, swinging dangerously far forward on the crutches as a horse whinnied and there was a yellow flare of torchlight beyond the wall. Moments later he heard the thud of hooves cantering away down the track towards the road.

By the time he pushed his way to the middle of the melee, two bodies were being held down with hoes and pitchforks while jubilant slaves jeered and shouted encouragement and argued about what to do with them. Calvus and Stilo had not escaped after all.

He said, ‘Where are the women?’ but the only answer he got was from a delighted Flaccus. ‘Nobody can say we didn’t defend the family now, sir, can they?’

Tilla appeared at his elbow. ‘We have did this because I expect you will let them go,’ she announced, confusing her tenses as she did when she was excited. ‘So I send some men to wait for them on top of the gatehouse.’

He said, ‘What have they done with the women?’

‘Are you not pleased?’

‘I’m impressed. I’m amazed. I’m very tired. Where are the women?’

She said, ‘I think the horses bolt.’

Ruso sighed. Claudia was not a practised rider, on the grounds that horses had sharp hooves and big teeth. If her horse had stumbled or swerved, she would probably have fallen off in the dark. He glanced across to where one of the recovered mounts was being led back in through the gates. ‘Ask them to light me a torch, Tilla. I’ll go and have a look.’

Somewhere ahead of him along the darkened track a voice was saying, ‘Nice horse. Nice horse, please …’

‘Claudia?’

‘Gaius! Is that you? Have those men gone? Oh, Gaius, I thought I was going to die out here!’

‘You’re safe now.’

The torch picked out the shape of the animal steadily munching on the dry grass at the side of the track. He could make out the line of a rein as the figure on its back was trying to haul its head up. He moved alongside, bending down to take the bridle. ‘Did you see what happened to Ennia?’

‘Oh Gaius,’ she sobbed. ‘It’s all been so horrible. Ennia just rode off and left me on my own in the dark. First it wouldn’t stop and now it won’t go! Why did you let them take me on a horse?’