Tribune of Rome

CHAPTER X

By the time he regained consciousness Eumenes had been strapped naked on to a table in the serving room. He groaned loudly but stopped abruptly as the pain from his shattered jaw magnified with any movement. He felt a hand close around his scrotum and opened his eyes in fright. Through the mist of blood he saw his owner leaning over him.

‘Now, you treacherous little pile of filth,’ Antonia hissed through clenched teeth, ‘you are going to tell me why you were spying on me.’ She squeezed his testicles with all her strength, drawing out a long shriek from her victim; it caused the five men around her to grimace in unconscious sympathy.

Vespasian watched Antonia in shocked disbelief as she continuously tightened and then eased her fist; there was no pleasure on her face, only cold determination. She was not to be crossed. She finally released her grip and the noise subsided. Blood outlined her fingernails and she reached for a cloth. She looked down at the heaving chest of her slave.

‘Well, Pallas,’ she said grimly, ‘he doesn’t want to do it the easy way, let’s see if he prefers the hard way.’

Pallas nodded to his mistress and with a pair of tongs picked out a red-hot piece of charcoal from a brazier. He showed it to the terrified doorkeeper, who turned his head away. Pallas looked at his mistress.

‘Do it,’ she ordered.

Vespasian smelt burning flesh as the charcoal sizzled its way through the skin of the man’s thigh into the muscle below. His howls echoed around the house.

‘Leave it there and put another on.’

Pallas did as he was told, this time dropping it on his belly; the doorkeeper writhed and wailed but still refused to talk.

‘And another,’ Antonia shouted, getting more frustrated by the moment.

Vespasian remembered the crucified boy. How easy it was to inflict pain on a person with no rights. He looked around the room at the others; Sabinus had a wild grin on his face but Asinius and Gaius were intent and grim. Both realised that their lives could depend on breaking this slave.

As a coal ate through his right nipple Eumenes passed out. Silence filled the room. They stared at the twisted, smoking body and wondered in amazement what loyalty or terror beyond these walls could induce him to endure such agony.

‘Brush off the coals and bring him round,’ Antonia said with resolve in her voice. ‘We’ll see if he prefers his flesh to be cut instead of burnt.’

Pallas threw a bucket of water over him, causing steam to rise from the roasting wounds.

‘We must be careful not to overdo it,’ Gaius said anxiously. ‘We don’t want him dying on us.’

‘Do you think that I’ve never had a slave tortured before?’ Antonia snapped.

‘My apologies, domina.’

Another two buckets of water brought the wretched man round. He started to moan.

‘Show him the knife,’ Antonia said slowly.

Pallas unsheathed a long thin blade, curved and sharp as a razor, and held it in front of Eumenes’ eyes. They widened in horror as the sleek instrument reflected the glow of the brazier on to his face.

‘Believe me, you will talk,’ Antonia said in a quiet, menacing voice. ‘It’s just up to you how many ears, fingers and balls you have left when you do.’

‘I can’t,’ he whispered.

‘Why not?’

‘They have my brother.’

‘Who has?’

Eumenes shook his head.

‘Start on his ears.’

Pallas grabbed his head with his left hand and pulled it towards him.

‘No! No!’ Eumenes begged.

The knife flashed and the ear fell with a light thud on to the table, which was soon covered with blood.

‘The other.’

Pallas pushed Eumenes’ head away exposing the other side of his face.

‘About two months ago,’ Eumenes cried through his broken mouth, ‘a man came to the door.’

Antonia put up her hand and signalled Pallas to stop. ‘Who?’ she asked urgently.

‘Hasdro, Sejanus’ freedman. He gave me a packet and told me to open it in private. He said he would return and tell me what to do. I opened it later, as I was told, in my quarters.’ Blood spilt out of his mouth and down his cheeks as he struggled to form the words.

‘Well? Out with it,’ Antonia urged.

‘It contained a hand; on it was a ring that I recognised as my brother’s,’ Eumenes panted; despite his pain he blanched at the memory.

‘What did he say when he came back?’ Asinius pressed him, his lip curling fastidiously. He was keen to get this over with.

‘He told me that I was to memorise all the visitors that you receive. I was to make no lists, not that I can write, you understand.’

‘Yes, yes, go on.’ Antonia was not interested in the literary abilities of a mere slave.

‘Someone would call by every few days and I was to pass them on to him, that way my brother would keep his other hand.’ He sobbed at the thought of it.

‘But that doesn’t explain why you were spying tonight, he told you just to collect names,’ Asinius pointed out.

‘When the man came by yesterday I gave him your name for the third time in five visits. He told me to listen in the next time you were here and to get something interesting or it would go badly for my brother.’

‘Who owns your brother?’ asked Antonia.

‘He’s a slave in the house of your daughter, Livilla.’

‘That venomous little snake,’ Antonia exploded. ‘Spying on her own mother, prying into my private affairs and no doubt passing it all on to that monster Sejanus whilst he rams his cock up her grateful arse, literally pumping her for information. I should have strangled the little bitch at birth.’

The men in the room were silent after this outburst.

Antonia was shaking with rage; forcing herself to be calm she looked down at the sobbing Eumenes. ‘We should go back next door and discuss the situation,’ she said. ‘Gentlemen, please.’ She indicated to the curtained doorway and looked back at Pallas, giving a slight nod of the head.

Vespasian passed through the door to the sound of a sharp slice and a gurgling death rattle. He felt a little pity for Eumenes but guessed that Antonia had calculated that she could neither keep him nor sell him. If Eumenes had answered the door to Livilla’s agent looking like that the man would guess that he’d talked and the brother would lose his other hand – or worse. Again, if he were sold, it would be obvious that he’d talked. His death was probably his brother’s only hope, but it was a very slender one.

They reclined back down on the couches and Antonia looked at the Consul. ‘Well, Asinius, what do you think?’

‘I think that we have been lucky.’ He reached for some more wine but remembered that the bowl was empty and that Pallas was otherwise engaged. ‘If Sejanus is spying on you he’s probably watching everyone connected to the imperial house; he has no reason to suspect you are plotting against him any more than the rest are. Had Eumenes reported any of tonight’s conversation then there would have been cause for concern, but fortunately he will be unable to, nor will your other guests’ presence be noted, which means we are still safe to do as we planned.’

The brothers glanced at their uncle, who tried to give them a reassuring look.

‘I think you are right, Consul,’ Antonia said after a brief pause. ‘The only thing he knows for certain about you and me is that you’ve visited a few times in the last month or so. We must keep the visits going so that he thinks that we are unaware of his attentions. Meanwhile we move with care.’ She turned to Gaius and smiled. ‘Now, Gaius, I have a request to make of you.’

‘Anything, domina.’

‘I need something kept safe.’

She got up and walked over to the strong box and taking two keys from a chain around her neck inserted them into the locks at each end of the box and turned them simultaneously. With a sharp click the locks opened and she lifted the lid.

‘For Sejanus to succeed he will need to eliminate all those who have the ear of the Emperor. Although I have no intention of being eliminated, if I were to be, I am sure that my papers would be gone through and certain ones removed.’ She took four scrolls out from the box. ‘These are two copies, one for the Senate and one for the Emperor. Should the need arise please ensure that they are read.’

Gaius took the scrolls. ‘I pray that I shall never need to do as you ask. They will be kept safe in a place known only to me for as long as you wish.’

Antonia sat back down. ‘Now I think that it is time to conclude our business,’ she said, glancing towards Asinius as Pallas returned, still looking dishevelled.

‘Indeed. Pallas, thank the gods, more wine,’ Asinius cried; the steward nodded. ‘Now, we have no direct way to combat Sejanus without solid evidence against him, which will take time to amass. In the meantime he needs to be frustrated in the Senate. I would ask you, Gaius, to attend as much as possible and have as many opinions as possible and speak at length on each one. You will find others, also at my request, and myself doing the same so you won’t stand out as a troublemaker. We may be able to delay his long-term plans by talking out his short-term ones. Meanwhile Antonia and I, with the help of our agents, will gather the hard evidence we need to convince Tiberius of the man’s duplicity. When we are successful I am sure that your long-awaited consulship will be forthcoming.’

Gaius smiled. ‘I shall, of course, do as you ask, Consul,’ he replied, secretly relieved that he had nothing more dangerous to do than to talk a lot. ‘But what do you have in mind for my nephews? They have heard enough this evening to damn them in Sejanus’ eyes should he ever find out about this meeting.’

‘Yes, I was coming to them.’ He paused as Pallas returned with the wine and filled his bowl, then looked over at the two expectant young men. ‘It so happens that I am able to help each of you to advance your careers in a way that is beneficial to all parties. Sabinus, having completed your time as a military tribune, I imagine that you wish for one of the Vigintiviri junior magistrates’ positions; I can arrange to have you placed in the imperial mint. From there you will have access to the treasury where you will be able monitor Sejanus’ use of public funds.’

Sabinus saw the logic of this; he would be extremely useful to Asinius, and at the same time gain valuable experience that would stand him in good stead for when he applied to become a quaestor in four years’ time after the prescribed age of twenty-four.

‘Thank you, Consul, I am in your debt.’

‘I know you are and I won’t forget it. Neither, I hope, will you.’

Sabinus bowed his head. ‘I shall not.’

‘As for you, Vespasian, you need your military experience.’

Vespasian felt his stomach clench; he had not dared hope to be given his chance of serving Rome so soon after arriving.

‘I shall write to my kinsman Pomponius Labeo, the legate of the Fourth Scythica; he’s serving with Gaius Poppaeus Sabinus, the Governor of Moesia, Macedonia and Achaea, who is at present putting down the rebellion in the neighbouring client kingdom of Thracia. I don’t know if he is sympathetic to our cause but he owes me favours and will take you into his legion as a military tribune. We need evidence that Sejanus is giving support to the rebel tribes trying to oust our friend King Rhoemetalces. He must have an agent in the legions there, passing information and perhaps money to the tribes; unmask him and bring the evidence back to Rome.’

‘I have a private interest in this matter,’ Antonia interjected. ‘Rhoemetalces’ mother, Queen Tryphaena, is a cousin of mine and also a friend. My late father Marcus Antonius was her great-grandfather. I knew Rhoemetalces as a child; he lived here in my house for three years and I grew very fond of him. I would deem it a personal favour if you could uncover evidence that Sejanus has put my kinsfolk in danger.’

Vespasian swallowed hard. How would he, with no military experience, be able to uncover an agent of Sejanus, who, he felt sure, would be as wily and subtle as his master?

Antonia, reading his thoughts, smiled at him. ‘It has to be someone like you, Vespasian. Because you are young and inexperienced the spy will see you as just another fresh-faced young tribune trying to find his feet in the legions. He won’t consider you as a threat at all, in fact he may even try to manipulate you. So trust no one and keep your eyes open.’

‘Yes, domina,’ Vespasian said, not feeling at all reassured.

‘I hope to have the appointments confirmed within the month.’ Asinius took another swig of wine. ‘As you know I step down as Consul in two days’ time, then I have a few months before I leave for whichever province I am allotted, so we have to work fast, gentlemen: we have a snake to catch.’