The Chariots of Calyx (22 page)

I hurried to offer my support for this. My only hope lay in convincing Glaucus that he was making a terrible mistake. I tried to struggle free but the guards still held me tight, so I made my contribution bent forward like a frog. ‘That could certainly be true,’ I said. ‘Fulvia is a wealthy widow now, and no doubt she has hopes of Fortunatus. She doesn’t know about Pulchrissima. Once she’d heard rumours of the accident, of course she would enquire about his health.’

Glaucus ignored me. He seemed unnaturally patient now. He turned to the slave. ‘But you didn’t ask the messenger who’d sent him? You simply took him prisoner?’

‘According to your orders, noble one. Better to be safe than to regret, you said, and promised us a bounty if we found a spy. Besides, I didn’t have a chance to ask him anything, though I intended to. I brought him here and had the team guards tie him up, but as soon as I turned my back he tripped over his bonds in the darkness and fell down the steps.’

Oh, great gods of stone and stream! The corpse! It all made sense. I almost cried aloud. It was not Junio lying there, it was Superbus. Why had I not seen the likelihood of that? I regretted it instantly – it was unkind to poor Superbus – but I could have wept with the joy and the relief of it.

‘And you have a warrant, citizen?’ Glaucus was looking at me thoughtfully. For the first time since they had seized me, I felt a glimmer of hope. Junio was alive, and Glaucus seemed subdued. The news of Monnius’ murder had clearly startled him. Perhaps I would after all escape from here alive.

I wondered what my captors would do, in that case. They had defied the governor’s warrant, and killed one of his slaves. They would hardly wait around to be arrested. Perhaps they would leave the
factio
and melt away into Londinium, where one would never find them – since, of course, if one cannot produce the accused in person, there is no case in Roman law. At the very least, I thought, they would rob me before they went.

Glaucus seemed to read my thoughts. He nodded to the slave. ‘Very well. Take that knife from his belt. We cannot leave him armed.’

The old man bobbed forward and did as he was told. Glaucus took it from him and examined it. ‘A fine blade, citizen. I shall see it is not wasted, never fear.’ He gestured to the slave. ‘And you, come here. You took that palace slave prisoner. This knife shall be part of your reward.’ He handed his taper to one of the guards – who necessarily let go of me to take it – and put one long hand on the purse pouch at his waist.

The old man quavered into a smile and stepped forward hopefully. But his reward was not to be in coin. Glaucus reached out and seized the fellow’s hair, forcing back his head. Then with his other hand he plunged my knife savagely into the scrawny neck, almost before the fawning smile had died. The old slave fell with a gurgle. Glaucus withdrew the knife and wiped it carelessly on the tunic of the dying man. ‘Useless swine!’

He put the knife into his belt and turned to me. ‘Your warrant, citizen.’ He leaned forward and removed it from the pouch where it hung and, taking a taper from the guard, examined it a moment. He gave me that mirthless smile of his, then, very carefully, held my precious document in the flame until the seal melted and the bark-paper smouldered and curled. Then he shook out the flames, seized me by the scruff of the neck and stuffed the charred remains inside my tunic. I felt the bite of heat against my skin. ‘So much for your warrant, citizen. Tomorrow, when I throw your body in the river, you may show it to the fishes. Perhaps they’ll be impressed by it. I’m not.’

The sudden blow which caught me on the cheek was so violent and so unexpected that I almost buckled at the knees. If it were not for the two henchmen holding me so firmly by the arms, I think I would have found myself grovelling on the stone floor as the slave had done.

Glaucus smiled. ‘Now, little songbird,’ he said softly, ‘we shall see how you can sing.’ Almost before I realised his intention, he had drawn the knife again. The two guards held me pinioned while he slashed the toga from my shoulder, then deliberately raised the taper and held the naked flame against my skin.

I cried out and tried to struggle free.

‘Bind him!’ Glaucus barked. ‘Use that dead fool’s belt.’

He held the light while the two guards dealt with me. One held me while the other undid the rope tie from the dead slave’s waist and bound my elbows firmly to my sides. I tried to take a deep breath and brace against the rope – an old trick, known to slave-boys everywhere, to make the bonds less tight – but there was little I could do. I fingered the stones I held, but the guards seized me and forced me back into that excruciating position. I was doubly helpless now.

Glaucus applied the flame again. Despite myself I gave a yelp of pain. ‘You sing already, cagebird? That is just a touch of what is to come. You will answer my questions, citizen spy, or you will feel the scorch of my taper on every inch of your body. And I have your knife. There are things that can be done with a blade that make a man beg for the mercy of death.’ He smiled. ‘So you will tell me, citizen, how much you know. What have you been blabbing to the governor? Tell me the truth and I’ll be merciful. A quick clean end.’

‘Like poor Superbus there?’ I heard myself say, and wondered at my own foolhardiness.

Glaucus glanced without interest at the lifeless form. ‘That palace informer? That was not my doing, citizen. This fool here’ – he flicked at the old slave’s body with his foot – ‘let him fall down the steps and kill himself, before I had time to question him. If I had dealt with him, believe me, he would have died more artistically – and he would have told me everything he knew.’ He lifted the taper again. ‘As you will tell me, also, in the end. So make it easy for yourself. Spare yourself suffering and tell me now. How much have you learnt?’

I tried to sound casual and self-controlled. ‘About Fortunatus? Nothing much at all. I knew he was the lady Fulvia’s friend. I went to Verulamium to speak to him, but he wasn’t there, so I came back to look for him. That’s all.’

The flame touched my skin again, for longer this time. I could smell, as well as feel, the burning flesh.

‘You lie.’ Glaucus’ tone was patient, reasonable – like a merchant disappointed in a bargain. The effect was much more chilling than anger. ‘You were at the stadium asking questions about the race. So I ask you again, citizen. How much do you know?’

‘About the accident?’ I said foolishly. ‘Only that Fortunatus fell at the first corner, and had to be sent home by the
medicus
.’

This time the pain was sharper still. I felt the hairs singe on my chest.

If I did know anything, I thought, I would cheerfully tell him. I was not sure how long I could go on enduring this. It was clear that Glaucus was involved in something – something so dangerous that men would kill for it – but I still had no real idea of what it was. His taper was burning low by now, and he reached out a languid hand to take a replacement from one of the guards, who lit another from the brazier. That left a single guard restraining me. If there was to be a moment for me to make a move, this had to be it.

I expelled my breath and relaxed my arms at last, to create as much slack as possible in my bonds. It was not much, and the second guard still had a firm hold on one arm, but there was just enough room to wriggle the other one a bit so that I could move it from the elbow. It was my left hand, which was not ideal. I was in pain and my movement was terribly constricted, but it was all the opportunity I had. Glaucus already had the fresh taper in his hand, and the guard was turning back to pinion me.

It was now or never.

I flicked the stone out of my hand, hoping to hit the guard. But with my upper arms bound to my sides my aim was poor. I missed. The stone flew harmlessly past him and fell against the wall with a clatter.

All the same everyone jumped and looked in that direction. The remaining guard let go of my arm, and I made a bolt towards the steps, still bound at the elbows, flicking my other missile as I went.

It was hopeless, of course. The guards were after me at once, and I was pushed roughly to the ground. I lay sprawled wretchedly against the steps while Glaucus came up with his guttering taper in his hand, and looked down at me with a kind of mocking sigh.

‘You are a fool, citizen. You might have spared yourself this. But since you have not yet learned who is the master here, you force me to teach you.’

One long, strong hand drew out the blade and he bent down towards me. ‘First the steel, then the flame,’ he said. ‘Until you tell me what I want to know. Now, about this murdered man. How much have you learned?’

I went through my account again. Glaucus was unimpressed. I felt the prick of the blade against my neck.

‘Why were you at the
factio
today?’

I said, desperately, ‘Looking for Fortunatus. He was not there – he was pretending to be ill, but he was with this dancing girl of his.’

The taper licked my flesh. ‘And why the interest in our grain supply? Trying to discover how many horses we are running?’

‘I don’t know anything about your grain.’

The knife again. ‘Then why were you at the granary this morning?’

It went on and on. The same questions, over and over. But there was nothing I could add. Through misting eyes I could still see that cold smile on Glaucus’ face as patiently, with horrible precision, he traced his patterns of torment on my flesh.

Time passed.

I was moaning now. I could hear myself. I had fought it down for as long as I could, knowing that it would just give Glaucus pleasure, but by this time I could bear the pain no longer. Already my head and sight were swimming. Passing out would have been a kind of mercy, but Glaucus seemed to know how to keep a man just this side of unconsciousness.

Before I quite blacked out he let me come round, but every time I drifted back to my senses the torture began again: another little jab of agony on flesh already screaming with cuts and fire. I was beyond speech now – I tried to form words but only gurgling sounds escaped my lips.

Then suddenly it stopped. For a moment I was too foolish and battered even to take that in, but it was true. My damaged skin still throbbed like fire, but there were no new torments. I tried to force open my unwilling eyes, but everything seemed uniformly grey. I could hear Glaucus cursing and stamping.

‘Great Mithras curse him! He is passing out on me – that is no use. And he has made me burn myself. Give me another taper, now – at once!’ So that was it. His wax-light had burned down and he had thrown it on the floor to extinguish it when it had scorched his fingers. From a dim red haze of pain I hoped that it had hurt.

When I swam to consciousness again, I heard Glaucus’ voice. ‘Well, it is a waste of time going on – he’ll tell us nothing in this state. I’ll have to wait till he recovers a little, and then we’ll see what whips and hooks can do. I will be back, so don’t you start on him. I don’t want him dying before he begins to talk. Mars knows what he has already told the governor. I never trust these governmental spies.’

Whips and hooks! Agony already flowed through me like a hot red tide, but fear forced me to listen.

‘Will you be gone long, Mightiness?’

‘Not long. I’m going to find Fortunatus and bring him in. I want to talk to him, too. Bedding Monnius’ wife, of all people! Monnius – one of our biggest sponsors! I’ll have the fellow taken under guard and locked up until the race. Pluto and all the Furies take the man! He’s endangered the whole system with his womanising. If I could find another driver of his quality I’d strangle him with my own hands and use someone else.’

‘You want him got rid of, Mightiness? It would be a pleasure.’

I heard Glaucus give a dry bark of laughter. ‘Not now. There’s still Camulodunum to come. That should be a very profitable day. Who is going to back an unknown driver, and against Citus too? Too bad the poor creature will be lame. Never fear. Fortunatus will do as I tell him. He wants his share of the money – and there should be plenty. Thousands for us all. In the meantime, you look after this interfering wretch. Don’t touch him unless he tries to escape. However, if I haven’t come by sundown, then he’s yours. Do what you like with him. You can dump all three bodies in the river after dark – put them in a sack and make sure you weight them well. I’ll see that extra rations are waiting for you at the barracks.’

He was gone. Whether it was pain or fear or hunger I don’t know, but I was at the end of myself. A sort of shivering terror seized me, and I lay there semi-conscious, though whether for minutes or hours I could not tell. At last I was aware of one of the guards stirring me with his boot.

‘Here, Rupius! Leave him alone. You heard what Glaucus said. He’s coming back— What’s that?’

A sudden blinding flash of light – was that the door? – and then there was a roaring in my ears. My heart seemed to contract with fright, and the world misted over. I dimly knew I was hallucinating – I had known the same thing in a fever. Strange shadows danced before my eyes and there were indistinct and distant noises, dull thumps and shouts. One long, thin scream, then silence. Utter blackness fell.

This must be death, I thought, and closed my eyes.

When the soul leaves the body, so the Romans say, it travels to the nether world, transported by the ferryman across the Styx. I had never been sure that I believed the tale – we Celts have our own explanation of demise – but I was dully comforted to find that it was true. I found myself rising up, without any conscious effort on my part, as if I was being borne upwards and outwards into a place of sweet air and glorious blinding light.

I expected the agony in my chest to cease, but that did not happen. Instead I appeared to be floating in a kind of welcoming green haze which swallowed me from time to time and eased the pain. I abandoned myself to it and allowed myself to be carried along. Literally carried, it occurred to me after a while. Not in a litter. Pairs of strong arms were bearing me along. Lots of arms, supporting my back, my head, my legs – all of them gentle and considerate, and carrying me as though I were a feather.