The Warrior's Princess

by Barbara Erskine

  Wordlessly she led the way, feeling by instinct rather than memory the route they should take to find again the ruined byre where they had hidden from the noise and the smell of blood.

  When the stone walls were in sight Gort stopped suddenly. He put his hand on her arm and a finger to his lips. There was someone there waiting for them. They heard the click of stone on stone, and the soft whicker of a horse. Cautiously they crept closer.

  Titus was sitting on a pile of stones, his arms folded. A naked sword lay next to him, softly cushioned on a bed of moss.

  ‘So, finally you return to your destiny.’ He smiled pleasantly at them as they stood side by side on the old stone pathway. ‘It has taken you a long time to get here, Eigon, but then the hills are beautiful at this time of year are they not, and it was right that you should enjoy your last days.’ As though taking its cue from him a cuckoo began to call from the hillside behind them, the sound echoing out across the valley. He stood up slowly. Eigon flinched backwards. Gort she noticed did not move.

  ‘I have some friends of yours here to greet you.’ He smiled again. ‘They have been looking for you for a long time. Luckily they asked so often and so insistently for you as they crossed the country that it was easy for me to meet up with them. They have been very pleasant travelling companions.’ He gestured behind him towards the wall. ‘Sadly they couldn’t wait until you actually arrived, but then you wouldn’t expect me to allow that, would you?’

  Eigon’s mouth had gone dry. She glanced towards the wall. The day had suddenly become very cold. ‘Commios?’ she whispered. ‘Drusilla?’

  He shrugged. ‘I’m sorry. It was very quick.’

  Gort caught her arm. ‘Don’t look.’ Taller than her, and standing slightly closer he had already seen the two bodies lying behind the stones. Their arms were bound behind them; they had had their throats cut.

  Titus gave a grim smile. ‘Strangely I took no pleasure in their end. They were pleasant enough folk. Their mistake was to know you.’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘You look upset.’

  ‘Was that not the point?’ Eigon managed a retort but she had grown numb. The world had receded to this small patch of ruined land, rank with nettles. Somewhere overhead a buzzard called, the lonely yelp echoing across the valley. Almost at once it was answered by the deep croak of a raven. The birds of death had smelled blood.

  Gort sighed. He had nothing to defend him but his staff. He leaned forward a little, firming his grip on the good strong wood. It would probably splinter under the slash of a Roman blade, but he would give it a try to protect her. Strangely though he felt she already had protection. An unearthly calm had settled round her; perhaps the wings of angels were forming a fence about her; perhaps the shades of her mother and her father had followed her from Rome. There were other people here with them; in fact the place was crowded. He gave a slight smile and Titus tensed at once.

  ‘You see your imminent death as amusing?’

  Gort shook his head slowly. ‘I wondered if you could see the other folk here around you. The shades of people you killed; the people you defiled. Those two; they may be dead to your eyes but I can see their spirits standing watching you. He has his arm around her. Was Drusilla in love with Commios, Eigon? They will be together now in the next world.’

  Titus had paled. ‘Fool! You think you can scare me like that?’

  ‘No, I don’t think I can scare you. I think you are beyond emotion of the human variety.’ Gort moved slightly, balancing his weight, tightening his grip on the staff. ‘The sad part is that your spirit too will roam these hills and yours will spew poison when your throat is cut.’

  ‘And who is going to cut my throat, old man?’ Titus seemed amused.

  ‘As to that, I see a queue forming behind you.’ Gort returned his smile. He glanced upwards. ‘I see the cailleach is here. She, like the raven, warns us of death.’

  Eigon followed his gaze. An owl had drifted quietly out of the woodland on silent wings. It settled on the lowest branch of an old ash tree behind Titus and uttered a gentle quavering hoot. He jumped visibly.

  ‘A daylight owl. The harbinger of death.’ Gort glanced fondly at the bird. ‘As is the man standing behind you, my friend, with his sword drawn.’

  Eigon’s eyes widened. Titus turned. The lightning stroke of the blade was the last thing he saw.

  ‘Meryn, come quickly!’ Rhodri’s voice tore Meryn back into the present with a jolt. ‘They’ve found Dan.’

  Meryn stood away from the rock, dazed for a moment. He took a deep breath, trying to push away the pictures which flooded his head. ‘Where is he? What about Jess?’

  Rhodri shook his head. ‘There is no sign of her. He’s holed up in an old church half a mile from here. The police are there.’

  ‘But he’s not armed?’

  ‘They can’t be sure of that. They are taking no chances, but he can’t escape. What frightens me is what happens if he’s hidden Jess somewhere? Supposing he won’t tell us where she is?’

  ‘He hasn’t got Jess, Rhodri.’ Meryn shook his head. ‘Remember, it’s Glads who has Jess.’

  Rhodri stared at him. ‘You’ve spoken to Glads?’

  Meryn nodded. ‘She’s gone for now. I pushed her too hard.’ He sighed. ‘I have to stay and try to get her back. There is such a confusion here of past and present, so much pain. So much –’ He broke off. ‘Wait. Marcia is here again. I can hear her voice.’

  Marcia Maximilla stared into the dark water of her scrying bowl and smiled. So much chaos; so much anger. How very satisfactory. Then she shook her head. The magician had asked for her help. An attractive man who had seen her beauty and acknowledged it with a slight quickening of his pulse. She liked him instinctively. She swept her palm over the water and watched the ripples settle back into new pictures. The image of Titus was gone. Here was another soul to watch. A seer like herself and a powerful one, a woman who hid inside the body of a child. She peered closer. The sister of the woman Titus had so desired to find. How strange. The one so good. The other so evil. She nodded to herself. One of life’s more entertaining conundrums, the duality of good and evil. She glanced at the parchment lying on the table near her. It was an account of the man who had become a god in Judea. Her eye lingered over the sign of a fish at the end of the scroll. She had always thought evil the more amusing path. That was why she had indulged the Emperor so often in his whims. But maybe not any more.

  The magician wanted to find the woman, Jess. She leaned forward again, peering into the swirling shadows in the bowl. The seeress had enticed her into a dark ravine, aping the child she had once been, begging her to play a game; then she had lured her back to the house of blood. Jess had followed the sound of the child’s voice; already bruised and disorientated she had fallen down some steps and hit her head and she had slept the long sleep which can so easily turn into death. No one would find her there. It was a place hidden from prying eyes, protected by the spirits of the trees which closed their branches over her head and sheltered her from sun and moon, slowly drawing her down into their world.

  Suddenly Marcia made up her mind. Closing her eyes she threw out a flood of messages.

  ‘She’s here. Somewhere. Behind the studio.’ Meryn stood helplessly looking round. It was all so dark. ‘I don’t see where. There is a staircase covered in undergrowth.’ The others were clustered round him as he stood in the courtyard.

  ‘She’s fallen down a staircase?’ Steph stared at him.

  ‘A stone staircase leading down. But it’s not inside. I can see trees round her.’

  ‘I know!’ Suddenly Steph was running past the studio and round the back of the cluster of old sheds and outbuildings behind it. There at the edge of the lawn where the hillside fell away towards the valley there was another stone-built byre. The door had long ago been nailed up. She shone her torch at the wall. ‘Down here.’

  Someone had forced open the door. It hung drunkenly off its hinges leading into total blackness where the tor
chlight couldn’t reach. The far side of the old building had fallen away, leaving it open to the stars. Inside, a flight of steps led into what had once been a store room deep underground.

  ‘Jess! Jess! I can see her!’ Rhodri elbowed Steph out of the way as the beam of torchlight finally found her. ‘My God, Jess, are you all right?’

  She was lying amongst the roots of the ash tree hidden by a tangle of elder and ancient apple trees. Hurtling down the stairs Rhodri threw himself down and put his arms around her.

  ‘Don’t touch her! Don’t move her till we see if she’s all right!’ Steph screamed. She ran after Rhodri. There was a moment’s pause as they both looked at her in the torchlight. She was deathly pale, lying, her eyes closed, huddled at the bottom of the stairs. Her skin to Rhodri’s touch was very cold.

  ‘Wait. Let me!’ Aurelia had hurried after Steph. Pushing the other two aside she knelt beside Jess and picked up her wrist. ‘There’s a faint pulse.’ She laid down Jess’s hand and rested her fingers for a moment on her daughter’s forehead. ‘Jess, sweetheart, can you hear me?’

  ‘Hugo?’ Jess’s eyelids flickered. ‘Mummy?’

  ‘You’re safe, Jess. We’re going to call an ambulance. Someone bring a rug to keep her warm! Quickly!’

  ‘Rhodri?’ Jess’s gaze shifted from her mother. Her voice was very weak.

  Rhodri was kneeling in the mud and weeds at her other side. He bent and kissed her forehead. ‘Thank God you’re all right. I was out of my mind with worry.’

  Jess smiled. ‘Sorry. Where’s Hugo?’

  ‘Hugo!’ Steph stared down at her. ‘Who’s Hugo? We had a dog called Hugo but he died years ago.’ She was already on her way back up the steps ‘Why did you come down here, Jess? It’s been boarded up for years.’

  ‘The little girl. I could hear her calling me.’ Jess shifted her weight with a groan. Hugo had been there. She was sure of it. But he had gone.

  ‘Don’t move!’ Rhodri put his hand on her shoulder.

  ‘I’m OK. Nothing broken. I’ve had long enough to test everything still works.’ She managed a grin. ‘I can feel all my hands and feet, and I can move my neck and I can see. But my leg is wedged somehow. I can’t free it. And I’m so cold.’

  She winced as, gently, Rhodri put his arm around her shoulders and held her against him for warmth while Steph ran inside to fetch blankets to keep her warm. She could feel his heart beating steadily under the cotton of his shirt.

  Aurelia went with her in the ambulance and Rhodri followed in his car. No one seemed to query his right to be there, nor the fact that it was he who stroked her hair back from her face and held her hand while they waited in the emergency department.

  The doctor confirmed that she was hypothermic and bruised and had a badly sprained ankle but there was nothing worse. The hospital kept her in for the night to make sure that her temperature was stabilised and it was Rhodri who went to fetch her next morning.

  In the car she kept glancing at him. ‘You kissed me yesterday,’ she said at last.

  He grinned. ‘Sorry. Don’t know what I was thinking about.’

  She smiled. ‘It was nice.’

  ‘Really?’ He glanced across at her, distracted and the car swerved across the road. She let out a small scream. ‘Rhodri!’

  ‘Sorry! Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were joking.’

  ‘I wasn’t joking.’

  ‘Right.’ There was a layby just ahead and he pulled in.

  ‘Why are you stopping?’

  ‘To do this.’ He gathered her into his arms and kissed her properly. ‘How about that? Was that still nice?’

  She nodded. ‘Very nice.’ She pushed him away gently. ‘Rhodri, I’m covered in bruises. Sorry. You’re hurting me.’ She paused as though the words had triggered a memory. ‘Dan?’ she whispered. ‘What happened to Dan?’

  ‘He’s been arrested and charged with murder.’

  ‘Murder?’ She frowned. ‘Who has he murdered?’

  Rhodri cursed quietly. She didn’t know. He took her hands in his. ‘Jess, I’m afraid I have some very sad news, my love. He killed Will.’

  She frowned. ‘No. No, he can’t have. Will is back in London.’

  Rhodri shook his head slowly and closing her eyes she put her head back against the seat. Tears ran down her cheeks. ‘He didn’t deserve that.’ She couldn’t hold back a sob.

  ‘No. No one deserves something like that.’ He sighed. ‘Especially not a good man like Will. Dan is safely under lock and key.’

  ‘And Eigon?’ She took the tissue he had found for her from a crumpled packet in the glove compartment. ‘And Titus?’

  He looked at her for a few seconds aching to hold her in his arms, to make everything better for her. But no one could do that. She would have to grieve for Will in her own time.

  ‘I’ll drive us home, love. There is a chap there called Meryn Jones. Do you remember, he was on that radio programme about Cartimandua? Well, it turns out your mother knows him quite well; and so does mine come to think of it. He used to live in the hills nearby. He’s unbelievable! Truly psychic. He has been sorting everything out. And he will explain.’

  Rhodri carried her in from the car and they made her a bed on the sofa. Only when she was comfortable, propped up against a mountain of pillows did they introduce her to Meryn. He sat down beside her with a smile.

  ‘So, the elusive Jess.’ He leaned across and shook her hand. ‘It is good to meet you at last.’ His handshake was firm, reassuring.

  ‘You told them where to look for me,’ she said.

  ‘That was a lady called Marcia,’ he said with a grave nod. ‘I have thanked her for her help.’

  ‘And Eigon? What happened to Eigon?’

  ‘Eigon’s story is told, Jess.’ He paused. ‘I am sure she will speak to you herself, but there is still one last strand to unravel.’ His face was grave. ‘Her sister.’

  ‘Glads.’ Jess shivered. ‘What happened to her?’

  ‘That we don’t know yet. She was taken away from here by a woman who saw her wandering around near the battlefield. She took Glads with her back to her own tribe in the neighbouring mountains. They taught her some bad stuff. She resented the fact that she thought her family had abandoned her and she let it all fester.’ He was studying her face. ‘She wanted revenge.’

  ‘So she tried to lure me outside? And it was she who led me to the ravine and then to the steps in the garden?’

  He nodded.

  ‘Was she trying to kill me?’

  ‘As to that, I don’t know. But she was trying to make mischief.’

  They glanced up as Rhodri appeared. He was carrying a tray. ‘Whisky for the invalid. And the rest of us!’ He was followed by Steph and Aurelia. ‘The police just phoned. Dan’s been taken back to London but they think he will be declared unfit to plead. He’ll be locked up for the rest of his days. You’ve nothing to fear from him any more.’

  Jess gave a wan smile, taking a glass of whisky from him. ‘And Titus?’

  ‘I think you’ll find Titus has been sorted.’ Meryn nodded. ‘I’ll explain.’

  That morning while he was waiting for Rhodri to fetch Jess from the hospital, he had wandered into Steph’s studio and sat down at the table. This was where it had all happened – two more murders to add to Titus’s toll. He glanced round. Sunlight was filtering in through the windows. The room was pleasantly warm. It felt safe and friendly.

  His face had softened into a smile. ‘If you’re listening, Marcia Maximilla, thank you for all you did.’

  She was there. He could sense her. The room was scented suddenly with citrus and warm pine, the smells of a Roman garden. ‘One last favour, if you feel you could indulge me?’ He smiled. There was no answer but he could tell she was still listening. ‘The soul of Titus Marcus Olivinus should not be wandering around loose. In our belief system it would be possible for him to be reborn into another form. To learn some lessons. What do you think?’

  Again t
here was no reply. He left it at that. She would know what to do.

  From the wall in the courtyard a small pair of bright black eyes peered out as Meryn made his way back towards the house. He paused. He had a strong feeling he was being watched. He turned and looked back, puzzled. With a squeak the mouse leaped from the wall and fled into the woods. He smiled. Coincidence? Who would ever know.

  As Jess lay in her bed that night, staring up at the ceiling Eigon told her the rest of the story. She was drifting into sleep, exhausted, when she saw the woman she had come to know almost as well as she knew herself, standing in the shadows in the corner of her room. Was she awake or was she dreaming? She raised herself on an elbow and smiled uncertainly. ‘Eigon?’ Eigon was looking towards her, her face indistinct, and yet Jess felt that she could see her. When Eigon began to speak she was speaking directly to Jess.

  Titus had stood for a fraction of a second after the sword blade struck him, a look of total astonishment on his face, then he fell forward into the nettles and lay still.

  ‘Julius?’ Eigon stared, incredulous, at the man who emerged from the shadow of the ruined wall. ‘Julius?’ She seemed unable to say anything else.

  He smiled. ‘The very same.’ He scrambled over the loose stones towards her, followed by a dark-haired teenage boy who stood and stared down at Titus, his face white with shock. ‘If you’re going to be sick, Drusus, do it somewhere else.’ Julius grinned at him then he turned back to her. ‘He is my bodyguard.’ He nodded towards the boy who had managed to regain control of himself. He looked back at Eigon and saw her staring at his face. ‘Sorry.’ He touched his scar self-consciously. ‘Not as pretty as I was.’

  She stepped towards him and raised her hand to touch the wound, her fingers lying gently over his for a second. ‘Titus did that? That night?’