"What do you mean?" Valleia asked.
"Palta likes to explore," Affron explained. "She probably knows more about Urbis than we do."
How did Affron know about Palta? Why had she prostrated herself in front of him in the jail cell?
"Are you sure?" Valleia asked Palta. "How do we do it?"
"There is tunnel," Palta replied. Her English didn't seem quite right, I noticed.
"The Egorinthine tunnel? That's just a legend."
Palta shook her head. "It is deep below us. It leads beyond the walls."
"How do you know that?"
"I found it. I walked its length. I came out of tunnel and saw walls of Urbis—from outside. Come."
Valleia folded her arms and looked at Affron; she didn't seem convinced.
"If we're going, we need to go now," Carmody said.
"All right," she replied. "It seems to be our only choice."
But Gratius raised his bandaged hand. "I will stay," he said. "You will need a friend in Urbis."
"Will Tirelius know you helped us?" Valleia asked him.
"No. Perhaps he will suspect. But he won't be able to prove anything. Hypatius is dead, by the way." Gratius gave Palta a look.
"All right, then. We are very grateful to you, Gratius."
He and Valleia talked for a moment in Latin. He took out some coins out of a pocket and gave them to her. And then he handed her the gant.
They grasped each other's forearms. Then Gratius bowed deeply to Affron, and nodded to each of us. "We will meet again," he said. And he walked quickly out of the palatium.
"You have many friends," Valleia murmured to Affron, gesturing to Gratius as he departed.
"I am grateful to all of you."
He nodded to Palta. She picked up the lamp Valleia had left there and motioned to us to follow her.
She led us along the corridor, then through a door and down a flight of stairs. And another flight of stairs, and another. The air was cold and smelled musty. Palta opened a large wooden door, and we seemed to be in a storage room of some sort. We made our way past broken tools, wooden crates filled with dishes, statues and rolled-up tapestries, spare cart wheels.... The place reminded me of the basement of our house in Glanbury, only way bigger. A mouse skittered past my feet, which made me jump. I wondered what other creatures lived down here.
Also, I was cold and tired and scared and depressed. Home had seemed close for a while, and now it was further off with every step we took away from the portal. Now we had killed people, and soldiers were about to start chasing us. Maybe they were already chasing us. Before I had seemed to be a kind of guest on Terra; now I was an enemy.
Finally Palta stopped and held up the lamp for us. "Here," she said.
I didn't see anything.
She got down on her knees, pushed a box out of the way, and pulled on a small iron ring. The ring was attached to a square door, which opened with a creak. She shone the lamp into the opening—we could make out a ladder descending into the darkness below. The air now smelled damp and earthy. Palta handed the lamp to Carmody and scrambled down the ladder. Then she called up to us. "Come!"
Valleia went next, then Affron, then me. It was scary descending the ladder into darkness, but hands grabbed me after about a dozen rungs, and I landed safely on the ground. Finally Carmody came down, holding the lamp and closing the door behind him.
We started walking. The tunnel was damp, narrow, and muddy; water seeped up through the ancient cobblestones and down through cracks in the ancient walls. Rats scurried away from us whenever the lamp's light reached them. As we walked, Valleia explained briefly to Carmody and me where we were. "Hieron discovered Via on the outskirts of Roma. As Via became famous, the city grew out towards it. That's when they built Urbis and put up walls around it, closing off Via—and its priests—from the public. The great pontifex Egorinthus didn't like this; he had this tunnel built so that he could sneak out at night and listen to what ordinary Roman people had to say. It was his way of ensuring that he got accurate information from his advisers. After Egorinthus, the priests decided that Roma should not be so close to Urbis, so they tore down the new neighborhoods that had been growing up around it and moved the people elsewhere. The tunnel was no longer needed, and eventually it was forgotten."
"So are we in, like, Italy?" I asked.
"That's what it would be called in your world, yes."
"I thought the portal—Via—was always in the same place. In my home town. In America."
"No, it can be anywhere. You were just lucky that the portal found you."
I think she was kidding.
We fell silent as we trudged through the tunnel. It seemed to go on forever. I was exhausted. The air was stale and hard to breathe. I had lost all track of time. I really needed to pee. And meanwhile, Affron was not in good shape. He started to have difficulty walking, and Carmody and I held him up. "Sorry," he whispered.
Then the lamp flickered and died, and we were in utter darkness.
"We can't be far from the end," Valleia said. "The tunnel is starting to slope upwards—did you notice? Move forward slowly and stay together."
We didn't really have much choice. But what if we fell into a pit? What if the tunnel split and we went in the wrong direction? What if we managed to make our way out of the tunnel, and soldiers were waiting for us?
Valleia took out the gant, and its blue light was better than no light at all.
"It will be all right, Larry," Affron whispered to me, as if he could sense my fear from the way I was gripping his arm.
And then Palta said simply, "Ladder."
We stopped. There was some conversation, and we decided that Carmody should go up the ladder first and see what was at the top.
He went up, and we could hear him pushing against something. "It's another door or hatch of some sort," he called down finally. "But I can't move it."
"There is latch," Palta said.
"Ah, yes." Suddenly the hatch opened. I felt a rush of fresh air. Dim light filtered down from an opening above us. Carmody scrambled outside, and then popped his head back into the opening. "It's safe," he whispered, "but make as little noise as you can. We're not far from the city walls."
One by one we ascended the ladder and scrambled out onto the ground. We felt cool air; we saw brightening sky.
And a hundred yards away, the walls of Urbis, looming high above us. I saw torches on the parapets, and cloaked soldiers striding slowly back and forth.
We were on a flat plain outside the city. And if any of those soldiers happened to spot us, we were doomed.
Chapter 7
"Let's go," Valleia whispered. "Quickly."
We crouched and ran—even Affron, although Carmody and I still held onto his arms in case he stumbled. At first the ground was flat. Then the terrain gradually got rougher and hillier. I could see the outline of trees in the distance. If we made it to the trees, surely the soldiers on the walls wouldn't be able to see us.
Affron's breathing became harsh and ragged as we started to climb. And then he stumbled and fell.
"Can't go... on," he gasped.
Carmody and I immediately picked him up, and we kept going. Did I hear shouts in the distance? Had the soldiers noticed us? I couldn't tell; I was breathing too hard myself. I didn't know how much more of this I could take. My legs felt like jelly; my bladder felt like it was going to burst. We struggled forward towards the trees, and when we finally made it and the walls were out of sight, we all collapsed on the ground once again.
"They saw us," Valleia said. "At least, they saw something. We need to get down to the river and find a boat. Horsemen could easily have reached the walls by now with news of our escape."
"How far is the river?" Carmody asked.
"Half a mile, perhaps."
"How do we get a boat?"
"That will be the least of our worries." She looked at Affron, still stretched out on the damp ground. "Are you all right?"
"Sor
ry," he said. "Just... tired."
I wondered if he had been tortured while he was in prison.
I went behind a tree to pee. When I was finished, I noticed Palta squatting nearby, her robe up around her thighs, doing the same thing. She nodded to me; embarrassed, I nodded back and quickly turned away.
"Is everyone ready?" Valleia asked when Palta and I had returned to the group. "Let's go."
We helped Affron up and set out again. I felt better, but not much. The soldiers had seen us. How could we hope to outrun them?
The river, when I finally looked up and saw it, was beautiful, flowing calmly in the pre-dawn light. A few boats bobbed gently on the water or were tied up at the end of docks; on the shore were a few small shacks.
"Do we steal one of those boats?" Carmody asked.
Valleia shook her head. "No need. These people will do whatever a priest tells them to do. One look at my robe will ensure obedience."
We walked up to the first shack. Outside it a man with long, greasy hair and a scraggly gray beard was mending a net by the light of a small oil lamp. Next to him a black cat with yellow eyes glared at us. Near the shack a boat was tied up at the end of a short dock. When the man saw us, he dropped the net, stood up, and bowed deeply. He looked terrified, especially when he noticed Affron, who could barely stand up.
And then he saw Palta, and he became even more agitated. I don't know when it had started, but Palta was standing there, her arms tightly folded, trembling from head to foot. She looked like she was closer to collapsing than Affron. What was going on?
Valleia walked up to the man and started speaking to him rapidly in a commanding tone I hadn't heard her use before—like Hypatius giving orders to Palta. She gestured at the boat at the end of the dock. The man said something back. Valleia repeated what she had said. She took out one of the coins Gratius had given her and tossed it to him. The man caught the coin and bowed again, even more deeply this time. Then he hurried down to the boat.
"I told him we needed to take Affron to Roma for medical care." Valleia murmured to us in English. "And if he doesn't get us there fast enough, we'll blame him." She noticed Palta. "Are you all right?"
Palta said nothing. It looked to me like she couldn't speak.
Valleia shrugged. "Come, then. We cannot delay."
We followed the man down to the boat and got on board. The small vessel rode low in the water with so many of us in it, but it didn't sink. It stank of fish. The man used a pole to push off from the dock and then raised a single square sail. We moved out onto the water, and the current started to take us.
"Keep your heads down," Valleia whispered. "Soldiers are coming."
I took a quick glance, and on the shore I glimpsed torches and men on horseback. I hunkered down in the boat. Would the soldiers spot us? Would they be able to find a boat and overtake us? Would they be waiting in Roma when we arrived?
The bottom of the boat was wet. I was lying next to Palta. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she was still trembling. What was the matter with her? She buried her face in my chest. That felt nice, but I was too worried to enjoy the feeling. Also, the rocking of the boat was making me a little seasick. I put my arm around her, and gradually her trembling quieted down.
Affron was lying with his head in Valleia's lap. She was gently stroking his hair. Carmody sat next to them with his arms folded. The fisherman stood up while he steered the boat; occasionally he would look down at the five of us and quickly look away, as if merely gazing at viators and their friends was forbidden.
Finally the rocking of the boat must have put me to sleep, because the next thing I knew Carmody was shaking me awake.
I opened my eyes to bright sunlight and seagulls wheeling overhead.
"Roma," Valleia murmured.
PART III
Roma
Chapter 8
I knew about as little about Rome's geography as I knew about its history. I remembered that it was the capital of Italy, of course, and Italy was shaped like a boot, but where on the boot was Rome located? No idea. And in any case, I had no idea if the geography of Terra was the same as the geography of my Earth. In the multiverse, there was no reason it should be.
Anyway, now it seemed like I was going to have to live in Roma, in hiding. Maybe for the rest of my life. I couldn't begin to imagine what that might be like.
I looked around. The river was wide and muddy here. Stone walls lined both banks; beyond the walls were hills crowded with buildings. In the distance was a stone bridge across the river. A couple of wagons were crossing the bridge; a few boats were sailing down the river ahead of us. No one seemed to be chasing us.
Palta had fallen asleep and was now leaning against my shoulder. Affron was still sleeping in Valleia's lap. The frightened fisherman sat in the stern, his hand on the tiller.
"Wake up the girl," Valleia murmured to me.
I shook Palta a bit. She opened her gray eyes and looked around. Then she shut them again. "What's the matter?" I asked.
"Water," was all she said; the "w" sounded almost like a "v". Just speaking that single word seemed to take something out of her.
Valleia said something in Latin to the fisherman, who bowed in response but looked puzzled. He steered the boat towards the left bank of the river.
"Just past that bridge there are steps that lead up from the river to the bank," Valleia said to us. "We'll get off the boat there and head into the city. Affron and I need get out of these robes—they are far too conspicuous; that will be our first task. Then we'll have to find a place to stay. That will be more difficult, but we need to get indoors before every soldier in the Roma starts looking for us."
"And what happens after that?" Carmody asked.
Valleia shrugged. "We will rest first and then decide. But we need to take care of Affron."
"Will he be able to walk?" I asked.
She stared down at Affron with concern. "He will have to," she replied. "We can't carry him through the streets."
She bent over and whispered into Affron's ear. He opened his eyes. He looked confused and uncertain for a moment, and then struggled to sit up. "I can make it," he said.
He didn't sound like he could make it.
We passed underneath the bridge finally, and just beyond it were a few steep, narrows steps, just like Valleia said. The fisherman maneuvered the boat up to the bottom of the steps and tied a line to an iron ring next to them. Then he helped each of us out of the boat and onto the steps. When he did this for Valleia, she reached out and laid her hand gently on the top of his head and whispered something to him. The guy looked like he was going to faint from happiness.
We climbed the steps. At the top was a narrow walkway along the river, and past that was a line of trees that paralleled the path. Both stopped at the bridge, which led into a wide road with a few wagons and carts on it. Beyond the trees was another road that intersected the bridge road. We crossed the path and stood among the trees, which managed to hide us a bit from the traffic.
Valleia said something in Latin to Palta, who was looking a lot better since we were out of the water. They had a brief conversation, after which Valleia handed her some coins. Palta bowed and headed off by herself along the road.
"She will buy us robes and food," Valleia said. "Her Latin is good enough."
"What was the matter with her in the boat?" Carmody asked.
"She's afraid of the water," Valleia replied. "But she won't say why."
Carmody just shook his head. I don't think he was frightened by much of anything.
So we waited for Palta to return. Affron sat down and leaned back against a tree, closing his eyes.
And my fears returned. How could we hide or escape if every soldier in the city was going to be looking for us? What if Valleia decided it would be easier if there was just her and Affron? How much did they care about me or Carmody or Palta?
And even if I wasn't captured, how could I possibly find my way home?
"You really
will have to learn Latin now, I'm afraid," Carmody said to me.
And I supposed he was right.
I realized I was hungry, in addition to being worried. What if Palta got lost, or was captured? There was so much to worry about. Finally she returned, carrying a loaf of bread and a package containing two plain pale-gray robes. We made a circle around Valleia and Affron while they changed into the new robes. Then Valleia handed the old ones to me. "Throw them in the river, Larry," she said. "First make sure no one is looking."
So I balled them up and took them across the narrow walkway to the river. A boat was coming out from under the bridge. I waited till it had gone past, and then I tossed the robes into the water and watched them float slowly downstream. Then I returned to the others.
We ate the bread Palta had bought while Valleia outlined the situation and what we had to do. The soldiers would eventually find and interrogate the fisherman and learn where he had dropped us off. So we had to get away from here. We had to find a place where he would have a chance to rest and recover. But we didn't have much money—only the remaining few coins from what Gratius had given her. And Affron wasn't going to be able to travel far.
Affron seemed a little better after resting in the boat, at any rate, but he was clearly still exhausted. Didn't matter, apparently. We headed off onto the streets of Roma. Valleia, Palta, and Affron went first—looking, I guess, like a regular Roman family. Valleia held onto Affron's arm as if she were an affectionate wife, although she was really helping to prop him up in case he stumbled. Palta walked on his other side, holding his hand.
"Ready, Larry?" Carmody asked me.
"Sure."
"No English where we can be overheard, right?"
"Okay."
Carmody and I headed off after the others, hanging back but keeping them in sight. We stayed silent. The narrow cobblestone streets were alive with people. Women walked by with wicker baskets on their heads. Blind and crippled beggars blocked sidewalks holding out bowls with a few coins in them. Occasionally we saw men carrying a curtained litter on their shoulders with what I assumed was some rich person inside. People didn't have to be told to get out of their way. We passed countless food stalls selling fish and sausages being cooked over open fires, and little outdoor markets where you could buy flowers and birds in cages. It was hard to keep Valleia and the others in sight as we made our way through the crowds.
TERRA (The Portal Series, Book 2) Page 6