Chapter XIV
“An alliance with a powerful person is never safe.” - Phaedrus
It was a dark evening when I set off from the palace to return to the house of Polymecles. I was not expecting any violence from anyone. It was late, the sky overcast and a little drizzle had begun to fall. There was a damp smell in the air. Hypsicratea had invited me to her palace I think, to pass the time. I had been seeing a good deal of her and although I had amorous feelings, I realised quite well that she did not.
We spent those evenings talking and laughing in that unusual friendship that had grown between us. She was a Queen of a conquered nation and I a soldier of the conquering nation, yet we were able to overcome the politics because we enjoyed each other's company. She was bright, beautiful and funny at times. The similarity in our ages may have had something to do with it. Although we had little in common, we learned from each other. She seemed interested in the ordinary life that Romans led, the food, the baths and the taverns. She told me of the history of her nation and the life of Mithradates. I felt I almost knew him in the end, from the detail in which she described him.
There are few enough people in life that one wants to spend time with, but it is a rarity, to find someone who one never becomes tired of listening and talking to. It was so between us. Our evenings often finished very late for we talked and often forgot the time.
On that night, we had parted late and I had drunk my share of an excellent wine and eaten well. Leaving the palace always made me thoughtful. Most of my thoughts were of Hypsicratea and it is a wonder I had enough thought left to put even one foot in front of the other. She occupied my mind to the exclusion of anything else for much of the time in those days.
That night there were hardly any people in the streets, for no one plies their trade in the wet and dark and few people in that part of the world favour walking in the rain even in daytime. It was cold and wet and I was deep in thought.
I stiffened suddenly and stood still and alert. I was almost sure I could hear a soft footfall behind me.
There it was again. I turned fast with my hand on the hilt of my sword. I half expected to be confronted by someone following me but my eyes took in only shadows and mist. My breath condensed in the air and looked like smoke as I realised that I was breathing hard with nervous tension.
I walked on. A wall loomed ahead in the dark to my left. I followed it, knowing I would come to the side gate. I could rouse Polymecles and persuade him to admit me. A torch was set into an alcove in the wall above the entrance doorway.
I heard the sound again. Faint footsteps behind me. I turned quickly. There was certainly no one there. I retraced my steps at a run, keeping a sharp eye for anyone who might be trailing me. I could see no one and after twenty paces or so, I abandoned the search, putting it down to my imagination.
As I turned back, I heard a faint twang from far off to my right and the arrow flew past my right ear audibly. It embedded itself in the wall. I realised that it would have been in my head had it not been for the Goddess Fortuna.
I realised that I was a delicious target to a bowman, stood in the open street as I was. I ran to the entrance, where I could duck into the portico and at least find some cover. A second arrow followed me but my attacker had shot wide and the missile merely disappeared into the distant darkness with a buzz reminiscent of a hornet.
I flattened myself against the door and knocked as hard as I could. It took some moments before Polymecles opened the hatch to look out. He saw no one and was about to close it again when I popped my head across.
'Let me in you Greek half-wit!'
Polymecles unbolted the door.
'Lord Aulus, it is very late at night that you return.'
'Hurry, man!' I said, ‘there's someone shooting at me with a bow!'
'But who would do such a thing?' he said as the door swung open. I pushed past him fast but another arrow had already been launched. It missed me and buried itself in the little landlord's shoulder. He fell and lay, breathing fast in the doorway as I tried to shut the door. I took a risk and pulled him inside. I shut the door feeling nervous about exposing myself in such an obvious way. I slammed the door and bolted it.
'Junius!' I bellowed at the top of my voice, 'Junius!'
It took only moments before my friend came and between us, we carried our landlord into the atrium of the tenement. We laid him on the couch despite the blood from his shoulder.
'Dying, I am dying. The end of a good life my lords!'
'You aren't dying, Polymecles,' I said, 'It's only a flesh wound.'
'I always knew that you Romans would be the end of me! Oh alas! The pain!'
We examined the wound. He had been lucky for the arrow had passed through the fold of skin and muscle at the point where his neck joined his torso. It was only a little more than a skin wound. I broke the arrow and pulled it through with no difficulty. The poor little half-Greek screamed but it must have been painful so we treated him with forbearance.
'Polymecles, you need a doctor to make sure the wound is clean and will heal. Where can we get one?'
'My personal physician lives in the adjoining tenement, but with murderers abroad we cannot rouse him now.'
'No you are right, but in the morning we will get him for you.'
'Who would do such a terrible thing?' asked Polymecles.
'I don't know, but I thought I was being followed the other day. It won't be the corsairs, maybe it is to do with the amulet,' I said thoughtfully.
'Amulet? What is that?' Polymecles said in a plaintiff voice.
'Never mind,' I said.
'It's bound to concern that Bassus fellow,' Junius said.
'Yes, maybe Marcus is getting serious. His father killed for it and now he seems to be doing the same.'
'We will all be killed!' wailed Polymecles.
'We should kill him first.'
'Don't be silly, if there was even a suspicion that we were involved in murdering a Centurion they would torture us as well as crucify us. Besides, we can't be certain it was Bassus. I don't think he would have been nimble enough to avoid me anyway.'
'A Centurion! I knew it! The Romans will be the death of us all!' our frightened landlord interjected in the background.
'True. One of us will have to sit up with our little friend here or no one will get any rest.'
'Straws?' I suggested.
'All right but no cheating now, I need my beauty sleep you know, Aripele is coming tomorrow afternoon, and I'll need all my energy.'
'We have to pay Marcus a visit tomorrow. Maybe we can get him killed by the corsairs,' I said hopefully.
Of course, I drew the short straw and had the pleasure of Polymecles' company for the rest of the night. He snored and occupied the only couch.
* * *
A winter sun was shining intermittently from a cloudy sky as Junius and I crossed the courtyard of the new barracks. The courtyard was cobbled but with fine small cobbles. There was a group of legionaries on a punishment parade drilling patiently at the far end of the square. Their iron-studded sandals mad a combined slapping and crunching sound on the cobbles, a noise that was only heard from military issue sandals. Old soldiers could recognise the sound from a distance and knew it for what it was.
We walked in a relaxed march and questioned the sentries who stood propping up the guardhouse wall casually. We explained that were looking for the Tribune of the fifth cohort, but it seemed we were too early, for we discovered that Marcus Mettius rarely arrived before midday. The duty sentries directed us to a house near the palace.
'You won't get much joy out of him this time of day,' one of them smirked, 'I heard he's just gone to bed! The parties that go on in that place! Wine women, music. He has a lot of callers at night too, women callers.'
'No, he never surfaces 'til late.' the other said. 'Don't know how the chain of command works with these part-time officers!'
We made our way to the house. The building was
a simple two-storey house, unremarkable in most ways but singular in that it had a small garden at the front of the building, which was unusual for a Pontic house. Last year's weeds and dead flowering plants overran the garden. As we neared the portico of the house, we noticed one of Marcus' slaves leaving the building with a pretty, young slave girl. She had wrapped herself in a cloak and had trouble walking straight.
'Must have been quite a party' I said.
'It's all over the legion. He has parties and worse almost every night and I'm told that he imports his own wine like Lucullus. Pity the likes of me and you don't get invited.'
'I hope he's awake. We have a little surprise for him either way.'
I knocked on the door and another slave opened it promptly. He at least was awake.
'Good morning. Can you wake your master for us please? We have an important message from Lucullus himself and we don't want to delay giving it to you master,' I said.
The slave looked at me as if I had descended from Olympus itself.
'I cannot wake him just now, perhaps you could come back later around the midday mealtime, he may have arisen by then.'
'I said that it was important and that is exactly what I meant. Which part of the message didn't you understand? Get him!' This last, was at a volume that would have intimidated anyone let alone a middle-aged slave. Pollux, for that was his name, turned and walked tremulously to Marcus Mettius' chamber and spoke in a low voice from the door.
There was a disgruntled voice from the room and within a few minutes, Marcus appeared wearing a tunic but minus sandals or other clothing and pushed past his slave who still stood uncertainly in the doorway. The frown on his face and the dark half circles beneath his eyes testified to his humour and he looked at us with a glare that would have roasted any other men. He leant on his elbow against the doorpost.
'If this is a joke I'll have you both before the Prefect before you can boil asparagus.'
'My dear cousin, we are simply here to convey a message from the General. If you don't want to hear it we can always go back and tell him you were not receptive to the idea today.' I half turned as if to go but Marcus stopped me.
'No, no! Please. Come in. I just had a late night with the er... accounts. Come in.'
I looked at my cousin. I smiled in a friendly fashion belying my real feelings of anger and disgust.
'Thank you cousin Marcus,' was all I said.
Junius and I followed the slightly unsteady officer into the atrium where he indicated seats. Marcus lay on a couch and rubbed his face with his hands in utter weariness.
'Well what is it?'
'What's what?' Junius said in mock ignorance.
'The message! Are you going to give it to me or not?'
The sun was shining outside despite the winter damp and I could hear a dog barking and growling in the courtyard behind the house.
'Well Marcus, it's like this, our Centurion Asinnius is a traitor. We know this for a variety of reasons which I will not go into but Lucullus has charged Junius and myself with the onerous burden of trying to trap him and find out who his contacts are.'
'Lucullus himself said that to you? I don't believe it. He would have picked an officer. Why should he pick two run-down legionaries? Poppycock!'
'It's true. Asinnius thinks we are in with him for money. He tipped the corsairs off to the location of the treasure that we almost lost at sea. I suggested to Lucullus when he de-briefed us that you would undoubtedly be the man to help and I am sure the General would be very grateful for your help.'
'Well?'
'We have a plan but we need you, for it to be convincing. We need you to tell him of a shipment of arms or other goods that the corsairs would be interested in and arrange to meet their chief. Then we will do the rest. There should be no risk involved and I am sure that Lucullus would be very generous in his rewards if all goes well.'
Marcus looked uncertainly at us. His frown gradually disappeared and he smiled slightly. 'Why did you seek to involve me?'
'You are family and since you have charge of supplies I thought naturally that we could work together. We go back a long way,' I said turning to Junius, who nodded in a serious fashion.
I explained my plan to Marcus and the meeting ended.
As we walked away, Junius said, 'Why involve a man who you hate and who has probably threatened your life already?'
'Because it may get him killed for a start. In addition, he is uniquely place to offer an attractive proposition as we discussed. There is also the benefit that I can keep a close eye on him during all this. He isn't likely to try to kill me if he and I are working on this.'
'True but there are risks in using someone as unreliable as your cousin. He reeks of wine even at this hour.'
'I'm sure that's never been the case for you!'
Junius aimed a playful punch at me and we made for the legion headquarters to try to find our Centurion. A thin rain began to fall and I shuddered involuntarily as drops ran down my back. I looked behind me and was almost sure there was a figure that ducked quickly behind the street corner as my head moved. My thoughts drifted to the night before and the flying arrows in the dark. I said nothing to Junius and tucked the thought away as what it seemed to be, my imagination.