Chapter XIII
"Nothing more detestable does the earth produce than an ungrateful man”- Ausonius
It was late afternoon when the ships docked in the great harbour of Sinope. A dark grey cloudy sky betrayed a brewing storm and I was relieved when the moorings were hitched. It had rained for most of the return journey and the damp and discomfort of the sea voyage had made me glum.
The ship's surgeon had sutured Junius' scalp wound and a greased cloth covered his head to keep it dry under the hood of his cloak. The wound had almost healed already. The surgeon had said that the rich blood supply of the scalp meant that although such wounds bleed heavily, they also heal quickly and Junius was in good spirits as a result.
As we stepped ashore, the ground beneath us seemed to move up and down for we had become so used to the rocking movement of the ship.
'Well, what do we do now?' Junius said.
'Now? We have to report to headquarters. With Meridius dead, the next in command is the Centurion and Asinnius can't be trusted. There must be someone we can talk to. I wish Asinnius could be tried for his treason.'
'Aulus, you know that will never happen. We have no proof and it is only our word against his.'
'Our century now consists only of twenty-five men. All the rest died on the ships. Pity Asinnius wasn't one of them. I suppose they will top us up from the recruits who arrived during the summer.'
'I can't say I find that prospect too reassuring. They have no experience of anything.'
'Worse still, that Marcus Mettius fellow I'm so fond of is their Tribune.'
'Well we're only soldiers and we have no say in the matter. Take the rough with the smooth I guess.'
As we walked through the streets towards the Temple of Athena, the locals stared. Two soldiers, dirty, unkempt, still with bloodstains on their tunics and one with a bandaged head was not a common sight in the streets of Sinope. The two of us suddenly realised that we would need to clean up before they made our report. We both assumed that our special duty status would now be lifted and we would return to the usual humdrum life of drills and marches, but neither of us complained, for it was the life we had become accustomed to now.
I was acutely aware that the man I was becoming was visible to the eyes of the casual observers in the street, for they crossed ahead of us as we approached and avoided looking either of this grim pair in the face.
We changed direction and went to our billet to make ourselves presentable. Polymecles greeted us as if we were long-lost friends, much to our amusement.
'My Roman heroes! You have returned to grace my humble house with your illustrious presence. I praise the Gods for they have brought you both back safe and sound.'
He looked at Junius' bandaged head, clucked, and wagged his head from side to side.
'Lord Junius, have you been injured, I must summon my physician at once. This is terrible news! Please sit down and do not strain yourself. I will fetch wine and fruit for you. Will you dine before the doctor comes or after?'
'Polymecles,' Junius said trying to slow the pace of the welcome, 'we have no money, and we just need to eat and rest. I don't need a doctor, it was just a cut on my head and the surgeon on the ship has sewn it together. It will heal easily. Now please don't cause a fuss!'
'How can you think my concern is just for money? I am a loyal servant of Rome and you are my dear friends! Money is not everything, even to me!'
We half believed him but we both knew that although today we were lords in Polymecles’ eyes, it would take only a small military setback for him to regard us as enemies.
He provided us with food, once we had changed clothes and washed. We began to feel a little more human. The wine was welcome, but Junius' comment about not having money, was enough to reduce the quality of the wine to barely drinkable. Neither of us cared, for the exhaustion engendered by the previous weeks, worked a soporific charm on us both and we ended the evening early.
* * *
The unexpected summons had disconcerted us both. Neither Junius nor I thought that the Commander of the Asiatic Armies might call us to report to him personally. We stood in the large airy room dwarfed by the high ceilings and stone pillars. In front of us was a desk of marble inlaid with brass in designs reminiscent of leaves and branches. On the desk lay papyrus scrolls and a sword. Opposite us, seated at the desk was Lucullus himself. He regarded us with a frown.
'Meridius is dead I am told, but no one seems to have seen him fall.'
He paused then and looked up at us. He frowned again and slammed his clenched fist on the desk.
'By Zeus! I want to know what happened!'
'We were both there when it happened sir.'
'But you didn't think it was important enough to report to me? One of my most valuable officers is killed on a planned clandestine mission and no one takes the trouble to tell me? Well?'
'I’m sorry, sir,' I said, quaking inside, 'we thought we should get cleaned up before reporting and by the time we had done that it was late and we didn't want to disturb…' my whimpering voice tailed away as I looked at Lucullus.
'It never occurred to you that Meridius was working for me?'
'We weren’t told that sir. He did say he was reporting to you in writing. We’re only plain soldiers of the line sir.'
We were clearly too overawed to make sense and the General knew it. Lucullus had seats brought for us and dismissed his servants and orderlies.
'Look, Meridius did communicate with me. He told me there was a traitor in the city and he told me that you two were the only men around him he trusted. He baited the trap for the corsairs and he was sure the traitor would reveal himself if the corsairs attacked. Unfortunately, they killed him and I am now none the wiser. I have to have that spy because we are about to start a war with Armenia. I can't afford for there to be any leakage of my plans, however slight. I don't even want the Senate to know.'
'You can rely on us sir,' Junius said, 'Meridius was a great man and a good commander and we have every wish to be revenged upon his enemies.'
'Tell me what you know,' Lucullus said.
We told the General the entire story. He prompted us at times and asked questions but at the end seemed satisfied.
'So Meridius directed you to get evidence against this Centurion?'
'Yes sir, the only person we knew we could trust was Meridius. Asinnius thinks we are in league with him and Meridius encouraged us to string him along.'
'I am very impressed with how you have both acquitted yourselves in this matter, especially the fight on the bireme. I will have a word with your Legate and we will see how best to reward you. In the meantime, I want you to find out how this Asinnius gets his information out of Sinope and who his contacts are. I need to know what else he knows. I need to you to find out if he has contacts in Armenia or spies going home to Rome. When you know that, I want you to kill him. Don't worry about any repercussions. I will personally see to it that you are not impeached in any way. The important thing is that the information ceases to flow from our army.'
'Do we rejoin our century now?' asked Junius.
'Yes, I think the less you do to attract attention the better. I need that information.'
We left the building wondering how best to achieve what had been demanded of us. Neither of us felt we had the skill for clandestine and surreptitious investigation and we half suspected that we had been picked because we were regarded as expendable.
As we left the temple, a fat Centurion greeted us almost immediately. The plump man was sweating and waving away a fly that buzzed around his helmet.
'Veridius?' he said peremptorily.
'Sir!' I said standing to attention.
'I want a quiet word with you, step this way. Not you!' he indicated Junius with his hand.
We walked to the far side of the square and Junius waited outside the temple.
'It's a delicate matter,' Bassus said, 'I have been asked to be a go-between by a friend.'
> 'Oh?' I said, puzzled.
'Yes, my friend wants something that you have and he is willing to pay most generously for it as a matter of fact.'
'What might that be sir?'
'That amulet that hangs around your neck, as it happens. I realise you may be attached to it so I can offer quite a generous sum of money for it. My friend is a collector and it just happens to be the type of jewellery he is interested in.'
'I don't think I want to sell it thank you.'
'I realise that these things can have a sentimental value but I can make your fortune, if you just let me.'
'I can't sell it, it was a last gift from my dead father and it means more to me than money.'
'Well that may be a problem you know, my friend is a powerful man and wealthy. If he wants the amulet he will get it, is that clear?'
'There's nothing you can do to get it, I won’t sell it even for five hundred sestertii and that is final.'
'Look, let's be reasonable. If you don't sell it to me, it will be the cause of a whole heap of trouble to you.
My eyes narrowed perceptibly.
'You can tell Marcus that I won't part with the amulet and if he tries to get it by force I am ready for him.'
'Marcus who? I don't know who you are talking about, but my friend will receive the news badly. I urge you to give up the amulet and all will be well. I can offer a thousand sestertii for it. You would be a rich man and you could buy your way out of this legion and farm or whatever takes you fancy.'
'Marcus and his family have tried to get it before and they failed. Do you really think I would sell it to you?
'Look laddie, you have something that my boss, er, friend wants and you will give it up or you may find that you have no choice.'
'Am I dismissed?' I asked, barely containing my anger.
'Yes all right. You're in a whole pile of shit though.'
I walked across the square with a look of fury on my face and joined my friend.
'What did fatty want?' Junius said.
'He was a messenger from my cousin Marcus and he wanted to buy my amulet. I told him no and I think I need to watch my back from now on.'
'I'll watch your back; you look straight ahead and watch for the pitfalls! What does he want it for anyway?'
'I told you, it contains the map to hidden deeds of some property of which I don't even know the whereabouts.'
'Valuable property?'
'How would I know? I haven't ever been there.'
'No, but you must have some idea. These people seem happy to kill for the deeds, it must be very valuable.'
'Not a clue, I'm afraid.'
'No matter, I'll still watch your back.'
'Asinnius is a more pressing problem.'
'The General seems happy to let us dispose of him. I'm surprised,' Junius said.
'Don't be. The man is a traitor and since we know it and Lucullus knows it, he'll be executed anyway. I want revenge. The last words on Meridius' lips begged for me to avenge him. I will do it for honour's sake.'
'Don't tell me, for the glory of Rome and all that?'
We shoved at each other and laughed, as if laughing would make the situation better. We walked to the barracks where we hoped to find Asinnius, on the off chance of learning more about his contacts. The streets were becoming busy again and the grey sky shed a warm rain on us as we walked. Junius bought some skewered meat and ate as we walked and we formulated a plan.
We enquired after the Centurion at the Ninth Legion barracks, a newly built low building at the western end of the city centre. Asinnius was not there, so we entered the second cohort section, where our comrades in arms greeted us. Titus, a tall, dark, hairy, bear of a man threw a gentle punch at Junius.
'Hey watch it!' Junius said, ducking the punch.
'You fellows are the lucky ones. How did you manage to get permission to stay billeted in the city when we all got transferred here?'
'We had some special duties, but they've ended now, so we're back now in the arms of the legion!' I said.
'What are you lot up to?' Junius said.
'We've been told to wait here for a new Optio and a group of recruits. The Legate himself will be appointing a Tribune to replace Meridius so we get a change of commander too,' Titus said.
The morning passed slowly. The twenty-three men who survived in the first century of the second cohort had little to do. Asinnius failed to appear and the waiting began to become tedious. After our midday meal, our Centurion appeared with a smile on his face leading fifty new men in a column.
'Form up you scum! We have some changes to make.'
The century was now almost complete with just short of eighty men but no Optio, the second-in-command to the Centurion.
'I have an announcement to make! Aulus Veridius and Junius Sinna you are both to work as Decurions for the newly reconstituted first century. Congratulations!'
Junius and I stepped forward and each of us was positioned towards the rear of the century. We were both smiling and I mentally offered a prayer to the goddess Fortuna for my good luck. It meant a substantial increase in pay. When the drill had finished, we went to see Asinnius.
'You might be wondering why you were both promoted in this way.'
'Yes sir,' I said.
'It seems,' Asinnius said, 'that you both fought well on the ships and the Legate passed instructions personally that you both get promoted. For my part, you'll be more useful to me now, so I will allow you both to stay in your billet for the time being. It will allow more freedom of movement and I may have some jobs for you in the coming months.'
'Yes sir.'
'By the way, it was a shame the corsairs failed in their attempt. They blame me for the failure and we will need to do something to impress them or they may be after all three of us.'
'I may be able to get some news of a shipment of weapons coming in. The Tribune of the fifth cohort is after all, my cousin. I still think he will want to meet the corsairs though'
Asinnius smiled and nodded as if he sympathised.
'All right, try to get some information from him if you can. As for meeting my contacts, well he can forget it. I keep things close.'
'What if he insists? He's a nosey bugger and I can tell you now he won't shift with the information unless we cut him in big style and that means he will want to be involved.'
'Well, maybe you're right. I'll talk to my contacts and you, in the meantime, talk to your cousin.
As Asinnius left, I caught a glimpse of Bassus, standing on a street corner watching us. I turned towards the plump Centurion, smiled, and then waved in a friendly fashion.
Bassus grimaced and walked away, clearly irritated.
'That fat Centurion wants my amulet,' I said, 'He is working for Marcus Mettius and seems determined to get it whatever the outcome. I wonder if it's valuable after all. I can't see them going to so much trouble over a bit of land that Marcus could afford to buy easily. There must be something special about it.'
'Have you only just realised?' Junius said, 'If they really did kill your parents for it and Marcus is still pursuing you for it then it must be a very valuable piece of land. Maybe it's political. Had you thought of that?'
'Political? What do you mean?'
'I mean that if for example it might be occupied by a political faction and another wants the deeds so they can throw out their rivals, something of that nature.'
'I can't imagine how that would work. I overheard Marcus' father arguing with mine and he said Sulla wanted the land for his veterans. If Sulla wanted it, he could have taken it by decree and he could have had the deed declared void, with no questions asked. No, I think Sulla was never involved and it is the Mettius family who want the land.'
'Maybe you're right. Let's go eat.'
'Bit early for eating isn't it?'
'Early enough for drinking though. I must say Aripele is very much on my mind at the moment.'
'You only ever think of wine and women!'
; 'No, sometimes I think about fighting and having a laugh. It's just that right now, I haven't seen that girl for a long time and I am sure she is lonely without me. Maybe she's missing me.'
'Whores don't miss their customers. They miss the cash.'
'This girl is different, she doesn't always ask for money, so maybe she really likes me.'
'In your dreams, my friend. She knows how to hook you. What did you say to me all those months ago? It's always been the same; women only want something from you? Something like that.'
'Aulus, cut it out, I really like Aripele and I think she likes me, so shut up!'
Although we were both smiling, I detected an irritation in my friend's voice and desisted from further provocation. It was a wisdom borne of long months of propinquity.
'All right, we go drink some wine, then we eat and then you can see your young lady. How about that?'
'It's a deal!' Junius slapped me on the back and we walked to the house of Polymecles.
'By the way, what are you doing involving Mettius in the corsair business? I think you've finally lost your reason,' Junius said.
'Wait and see. The easiest way to keep track of an idiot who is following you is to have him at your side!'
'You're mad!'
'Yes, but at least I'm handsome, which is more than you can say country boy!'
We laughed then as we always did. The seriousness of our situation always seemed far off when we laughed.