The Chicken's Curse

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The Chicken's Curse Page 11

by Frances Watts


  Instinctively, Felix put a hand to his throat. Beside him, Livia smothered a gasp.

  ‘No,’ said Merybad thoughtfully. ‘We need to be more subtle than that. No suspicion can fall on me. Other travellers on the road will have seen me with the young Romans. But if our caravan was to be attacked, and the poor young travellers were to be …’ The trader ran a finger across his throat.

  The bald man grinned. ‘We can share the treasure.’

  ‘Exactly. So, let us agree to meet again two days from now, on the plains outside Tadmor.’

  ‘You’re very bad, Merybad,’ said the bald man in an appreciative tone.

  The trader smirked. ‘And you’re very nasty, Narseh.’

  Felix watched over the lip of the trough as the two men made their ways separately across the courtyard, then he stood up, wincing as he stretched his cramped limbs.

  ‘Did you hear that, Livia? Those coins are meant for Caesar!’ He shook his head in despair.

  Livia stood up too. ‘We have Cleopatra’s gift for Julius Caesar!’ she said with wonder in her voice.

  Felix covered his face with his hands. ‘Oh no,’ he said. ‘Oh no, no, no. This is terrible. I run away from the army, help one of the governor’s slaves to escape from a prefect’s household, and now I’ve stolen Caesar’s gift. When we get back to Rome, Caesar will definitely feed me to the lions. Or the ostriches.’

  But Livia’s eyes were shining. ‘This is great. Don’t you see? We can return Caesar’s coins in exchange for my brother’s life.’

  ‘That’s if we make it to Rome alive,’ Felix pointed out. ‘Did you see the big sword that Nasty man was carrying?’

  Livia looked grim. ‘That is a problem,’ she agreed. ‘What are we going to do?’

  Felix thought for a minute, absently rubbing the ring on his thumb. They had no weapons with which to confront the men, only the stick he had carried from the Tarshish, and that would be no match for Nasty’s sword. ‘The only thing I can think of is that tomorrow night, while Merybad is asleep, we’ll take Big Nose and escape.’

  Livia looked even more grim. ‘I don’t know if I feel quite comfortable trusting our lives to Big Nose,’ she said.

  Felix shrugged. ‘He’s the only camel who’ll help us.’

  They returned to their beds in silence.

  It was a long time before Felix fell into an uneasy sleep, and it seemed like only minutes later that he was woken at dawn by the jingling of harnesses and stamping of hooves on flagstones, the mingled noises of humans and animals as the caravanserai came to life.

  As Felix stretched and yawned, Merybad arrived, beaming at them with more warmth than he had shown previously. ‘I trust you slept well? Nothing disturbed your slumber? Your, er, belongings were not tampered with?’ He gestured to the satchel sitting on the ground by their feet. Livia picked it up and slung it over one shoulder.

  ‘We slept very well,’ she said. ‘But we’re looking forward to resuming our journey. How far is it to Tadmor from here?’

  Merybad stroked his beard. ‘Perhaps three days. But we will need to take care; I have heard there are bandits in the area preying on unsuspecting travellers.’

  Felix tried to appear suitably shocked. ‘Oh no. Will we be okay?’

  Merybad smiled and gave a little bow. ‘Trust in Merybad,’ he said, ‘and everything will be fine.’

  Felix forced himself to return the smile. ‘I’m glad we’re travelling with you,’ he lied.

  The day passed like so many others, trudging through the barren landscape, the only difference being that every stunted tree they saw on the horizon looked to Felix’s anxious eyes like a bandit about to pounce, and his pulse raced every time they passed an outcrop of rocks, half expecting Nasty to leap out from behind with his sword raised.

  It was an effort to converse normally with Merybad as they ate their simple evening meal, but finally it was time to arrange themselves for the night.

  When at last they heard the faint snuffling that meant the trader was asleep, Felix touched Livia lightly on the arm and they rose silently. Felix picked up his stick and Livia lifted the satchel, and they crept between two camels.

  ‘Shah!’

  Felix froze. Merybad had spotted them!

  But then the snuffling resumed, and he realised the trader was merely driving the camels in his dreams.

  Hurrying to where Big Nose slept, Felix was glad of the camel’s habit of sleeping apart from the others.

  ‘Big Nose, wake up,’ he whispered, placing a hand on the sleeping camel’s neck.

  ‘Okay!’ said the camel, immediately alert.

  ‘Shhh,’ Felix hushed him.

  ‘Okay!’ said the camel at the same volume.

  ‘Merybad has been plotting with a nasty man to kill us tomorrow and we need to escape,’ Felix explained quickly in a low voice. ‘Will you help us?’

  ‘Okay!’

  Felix and Livia climbed aboard, Felix in front, then the camel clambered to its feet.

  It stood without moving.

  ‘Tell the camel where to go,’ Livia suggested.

  Felix bent to speak into the camel’s ear. ‘Um, could you take us to Tadmor, please?’ he asked.

  ‘Okay!’ the camel replied. But he still didn’t move.

  ‘Do you know where Tadmor is?’ Felix asked, with a rising sense of panic.

  ‘No,’ the camel admitted regretfully.

  Felix dropped his head onto the camel’s furry neck. Now what? They couldn’t just wander randomly through the desert – they’d die of starvation or dehydration within days.

  Felix let out a low moan, which was interrupted by Livia.

  ‘That star there – that’s the North Star. I was trying to work out which direction we were travelling in today, and from the movement of the sun I’m pretty sure we’ve been heading north, so all we need to do is follow the star.’

  Felix quickly relayed the instructions to the camel, which obediently began to plod towards the beacon in the sky.

  ‘You’re brilliant, Livia!’ Felix said.

  Eventually the stars faded from the sky and the sun began its ascent. As the pale sand turned a deeper gold with the changing light, Felix grew increasingly uneasy. The desert was now an endless flat expanse; there were no crags behind which they could hide, no dunes in which they could conceal themselves. If Merybad was in pursuit, he would have no trouble finding them.

  It was mid-afternoon when Felix thought he heard a faint sound from behind. Turning, he scanned the horizon in the direction they had come. He thought he spied something moving, just a speck in the distance, but it was hard to tell with the sun beaming down, making the sand shimmer.

  ‘Livia,’ he said, ‘take a look behind us. I think there’s—’

  ‘What’s that?’ Livia broke in. She was pointing ahead.

  ‘What?’ said Felix, blinking. His eyes were still dazzled from the sun on the sand behind them.

  ‘I saw a glint. Or maybe it was a gleam.’

  ‘Well, which was it?’ Felix asked a little impatiently, casting another glance over his shoulder. Was the speck behind them getting nearer?

  ‘Maybe it was both,’ said Livia uncertainly. ‘The glint of a sword and the gleam of a bald head.’

  That made Felix swing his gaze forwards. ‘Where?’

  Livia pointed again.

  At first Felix couldn’t see anything, then – yes, he had it. A flash, as if the sun had just struck the blade of a sword … or a bald head.

  ‘We should have thought of that,’ Livia said grimly. ‘Nasty would have had to go on ahead if the plan was for him to confront us as we approached Tadmor. We’ll have to take a different direction. Maybe if we head west to the coast we could then continue north to Tripoli and avoid Tadmor altogether?’

  She turned to check the desert behind them. ‘Oh!’

  Felix, who was still watching the spot where he’d seen the glint (or gleam), spun around.

  The speck was larger now,
and growing more distinct by the minute.

  Livia stifled a cry of alarm.

  ‘Merybad!’

  Despite the warmth of the day, a cold feeling invaded Felix as he realised the hopelessness of their situation: Merybad gaining on them quickly from behind, Nasty coming towards them …

  Felix faced forwards again to see if Nasty had moved closer, but instead of a gleam (or glint) he noticed something peculiar happening up ahead: a huge cloud hung over the horizon.

  ‘Livia, look,’ he said urgently, pointing.

  Biting her lip, she turned away from Merybad. When she saw the cloud, she frowned. ‘That’s weird. It doesn’t rain in the desert, does it? So why would there be a cloud?’

  ‘What’s weirder,’ Felix observed, as he felt the first stirrings of a breeze brush his skin, ‘is that it’s the exact same colour as the sand.’

  As the stirrings grew stronger, he realised with horror that the cloud was approaching quickly, barrelling along the sand like the waves that had engulfed the Tarshish all those weeks ago.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Livia asked anxiously as Big Nose seemed to sway beneath them.

  Without a word, the camel dropped to its knees and rested its head on the desert floor as if to sleep.

  ‘I think it must be a sandstorm,’ Felix replied, clambering off the camel’s back. ‘Should we turn around?’

  ‘There’s no point,’ Livia said, as she too dismounted. ‘It’s coming so fast, we’ll never outrun it. And we’ll be heading straight for Merybad. Is there somewhere we can hide?’

  Felix gestured to the vast empty space about them. ‘There isn’t anywhere.’

  He had to shout now to be heard over the shrieking wind. The sand was whipping at his face.

  ‘Let’s try to head west,’ Livia called.

  ‘Okay,’ he replied. ‘Which way is that?’

  The sun had disappeared completely. He couldn’t see the sky, couldn’t see ahead of him, couldn’t see behind. Sand was whirling everywhere, finding its way into his eyes, nose, his mouth, his ears.

  ‘Livia!’ he shouted. ‘Which way is – Livia? Where are you?’

  He heard a whimper and looked around desperately, but he couldn’t catch so much as a glimpse of his friend. She had disappeared into the swirling sands.

  ‘Here!’ he heard. ‘This way!’ But the voice wasn’t hers, he realised, with a rising sense of panic.

  He stumbled backwards into the camel and fell onto the sand.

  ‘Livia, run!’ he yelled, not caring who heard him. ‘Don’t worry about me!’

  He might be trapped, but all he wanted was for her to get away.

  ‘Run!’ he screamed again as he felt someone seize him by the arms and drag him to his feet.

  ‘Let go,’ he said, struggling with all his might and trying to lash out with his stick.

  ‘Stop!’ said his captor firmly, holding Felix tightly so his arms were pinned to his sides. ‘I’m trying to help you.’

  ‘What?!’

  Felix felt his feet leave the ground. He was being carried. By whom?

  ‘Where are you taking me?’ He tried to wriggle free from his captor’s grasp.

  Abruptly he was released. He was standing on solid ground once more, and the awful swirl of sand, the roar of the wind, had ceased. Everything was calm.

  ‘Welcome to our tent.’ It was his captor’s voice – but it didn’t belong to Merybad or Nasty.

  Blinking sand from his eyelashes, Felix could just make out the entrance to a tent and a tall, slender man with a scarf covering his face, leaving a narrow slit for the eyes.

  ‘Be calm,’ the man said. ‘You are safe now.’

  ‘My friend,’ Felix croaked, his throat dry from the dust. He stumbled towards the entrance. ‘I have to find her.’

  ‘Here.’ He felt a tug on his cloak and turned with a rush of relief to see Livia. ‘Felix, it’s okay, I’m here.’

  As the adrenalin drained from his body, Felix sank to the ground, spent of energy.

  Looking up, he saw he was surrounded by a dozen or so curious faces: young, old, boys, girls, men and women, sitting and kneeling on the carpets that covered the sand.

  ‘I am Hatem,’ the man who had brought Felix into the tent told him. ‘And this is my family.’ He went around the circle, introducing his guests to sons and aunts, grandfathers and daughters and cousins. ‘Rest with us a while. The storm will soon blow over.’

  ‘Our camel,’ Livia said anxiously. ‘Will he be all right out there?’

  ‘He’ll be fine,’ the man assured her. ‘Our own camels are there, and our goats. Like us, they are accustomed to the weather. But you, perhaps, are not?’

  ‘No,’ Felix admitted. ‘It’s our first time crossing the desert.’

  ‘Where are you headed?’ Hatem asked.

  ‘We’re on our way to Tadmor. Do you know if we’re close?’

  ‘You’re very close. We will be passing near there ourselves.’

  ‘Where have you come from?’ Livia asked.

  A woman – Uzza, Felix recalled – laughed and gestured around her. ‘This is our home.’

  ‘You live in this tent permanently?’ Felix asked, puzzled. He had to admit, though, it was a large and comfortable-looking tent, the woven fabric draped over wooden poles protecting them from the swirling sands outside, a small fire in the centre of the space adding to the cosy feel.

  ‘We’re nomads, goat herders. We move through the desert, occasionally visiting towns to sell our milk and cheese.’ Something in Felix’s expression must have betrayed his hunger, because she smiled and said, ‘When the storm blows over, we will prepare you a feast.’

  ‘That would be wonderful,’ Felix said, ‘but, um, we’re in a bit of a hurry …’ He glanced around as if he might see Merybad, or perhaps Nasty, through the skin of the tent.

  Hatem, who was standing by the tent flap, turned and gave him a penetrating look. ‘Do not worry, young friend. You are safe with us.’

  Felix grimaced. ‘You don’t understand,’ he began. ‘There are two men out there who—’

  He stopped as the nomad family rose as one. In the time it took Felix to blink, every member of the family had produced a weapon: a sword here, a knife there … even a woman who appeared old enough to be Hatem’s grandmother wielded a large wooden club. They seemed fierce, Felix noted, but not threatening.

  ‘You are safe with us,’ Hatem repeated. ‘No one will harm you here.’

  He sounded very sure, Felix thought. Before he could ask if Hatem knew Merybad and Nasty, the nomad opened the tent flap and peered out. ‘See? The storm has passed, though night is falling.’

  Felix and Livia stepped outside into a cool, clear evening.

  Immediately, Livia said, ‘Our camel has gone! He must have been frightened by the storm. Oh, the poor thing.’

  At Felix’s questioning look she said, ‘I might find him frustrating at times – okay, always – but I do know he means well.’

  ‘Don’t fret,’ Hatem soothed her. ‘He has probably joined his fellows.’

  Felix frowned. ‘What fellows?’ He felt a jolt of alarm. ‘You mean Merybad’s other camels?’

  ‘This way,’ Hatem said calmly, leading Felix and Livia around the side of the tent. As they walked, the nomad said, ‘Whispers carry on the desert breeze and travellers will tell tales. I think you have come from Alexandria, hmm?’

  ‘Yes,’ Felix said warily. He noticed Livia tighten her grip on the satchel she carried.

  ‘And you stayed in a caravanserai the night before last?’

  ‘Yes,’ Felix admitted reluctantly.

  ‘Perhaps I have heard talk of you. But that is of no importance. What matters to me is that when we offered you shelter you both thought first of each other’s safety and were concerned for your camel.’

  ‘Well, our camel is quite sensitive,’ Felix explained. ‘And I’m not sure how smart camels usually are, but he seems particularly – oh, there he is, standing w
ith the others.’

  A small herd of camels was grouped in the lee of a large rock, and in their midst was Big Nose.

  Felix watched as the other camels nuzzled Big Nose affectionately. He had never seen the camel look so happy.

  ‘As I was saying,’ Hatem resumed, ‘your concern for each other and your camel tells me everything I need to know about you. My family and I would be pleased to take you to the outskirts of Tadmor.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Felix said. It was like a weight had been removed from his shoulders. For once, it seemed, things were going their way.

  That night they ate goat roasted on the fire, accompanied by side dishes of vegetables, many of which were strange to Felix. They slept on the carpet-strewn floor of the tent, and the next day they walked with the nomads to the oasis city of Tadmor.

  Chapter 16

  ‘Do you think Big Nose will be happy with the nomads?’ Felix knew that leaving the camel with the herd that had made him feel so welcome was the right thing to do, yet he couldn’t help but feel that they’d abandoned him – just like they’d abandoned the sacred chicken in Lutetia. He still suspected that if they hadn’t left the chicken behind things might have turned out very differently. He twisted the ring on his thumb. They’d probably be in Rome by now, for one thing.

  ‘You’re thinking of that silly chicken again, aren’t you?’ Livia demanded.

  ‘Maybe,’ Felix said defensively.

  ‘The chicken left us, we didn’t leave him,’ Livia pointed out. ‘And the camel will be much happier with the nomads than he was with Merybad.’ She wrinkled her nose as she spoke the name of their would-be murderer. ‘Besides, it’s not like we could take a camel to Rome with us.’

  They were in Tadmor, walking through a marketplace unlike any Felix had seen before. There were fortune tellers and scribes, spices whose scents made his nostrils widen and shrink – and was that a snake charmer? Perhaps Gisgo’s tales hadn’t been so fanciful after all …

  It was true they couldn’t take the camel all the way to Rome, but perhaps they would have been wise to ride him to Tripoli. Hatem had estimated it would take them ten days to reach the port on foot. Their chances of reaching Rome in time to see Livia’s brother were growing fainter and fainter, though Felix couldn’t bring himself to point that out to Livia, who was as determined to get there as ever.

 

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