“You fish it out, swim to shore, and run to our next stop,” the second poleman informed Alerio.
“Shove us off,” Captain Scripuli ordered. The flat vessel rotated as it caught the gentle current. “Poles people, our goal is upstream to Tivoli, not downriver to the Tiber.”
With four poles set on the bottom, the polemen pushed and walked their quarter of the deck. Three yanked the poles up and passed them higher, hand to hand, before sinking them in the river, and performing another push.
“Don’t let a limb of ash beat you, Sisera,” Scripuli encouraged. “And remember, the twist at the end of your push.”
Alerio tossed the pole hard, caught it and threw it with the other hand. Once mostly out of the water, he sank the pole and the bronze cap to the bottom.
“Much better,” Scripuli noted. “Now, can you do it with the other polemen?”
At the bend in the river, the current hit the embankment. Before sweeping away from the shoreline, the current deposited silt. Alerio, on the starboard side, rushed through his push, attempting to match the fluid movements of the other polemen. In his haste, he neglected the twist.
The flat deck of the barge slid out from under Alerio Sisera’s feet. Hanging on the pole, he watched Scripuli wave to him as the distance between them increased.
“Five miles ahead,” the bargeman called out. “There’s a nice inn on the riverbank. We’ll see you there.”
Angry at his mistake, Alerio used his hands to walk his body down the pole. Beneath the water, he planted his feet on the mud, twisted the pole, and pulled it from the muck.
***
The bargeman and his three polemen were laughing when a figure on the bank raced by them. Then one hundred feet beyond the barge, Sisera pivoted. He and the pole flew from the riverbank and splashed into the river. Kicking ferociously, the new crewmember swam into the path of the barge.
In the center of the river, Alerio used the pole as a float. When the nose of the barge almost reached him, he raised one end of the pole, kicked his legs hard, and shoved the pole onto the deck.
The barge collided with Alerio’s chest. Boards across the front began to plow the water with his body while pressing Alerio backward and down. Before his head submerged, Alerio got one hand on the boards. Hanging above the water by fingertips, he brought the other hand up and secured a better grip. Once he had purchase, the former Legion officer rose high enough to get his chest on the deck.
“Welcome back, Sisera,” the two forward polemen stated. “You forgot to twist your pole.”
***
Three days later, the barge reached a wide expanse of river. The poling became less strenuous and one of the polemen began to chant.
“For it’s
Pole down
Barge forward
Upstream or downstream
The motion is the same
I’ve got sixteen feet of pole
Fourteen feet of river bends
Four feet of reach
Three feet of water
And an unbalanced craft
Load the stone
Load the goods
For it’s
Pole down
Barge forward
Upstream or downstream
The motion is the same”
The crew sank their poles, sang, and eased the barge through the water.
“Someone accused me of being shiftless
How can that be?
When my path is laid out for me
Sure it twists and turns
And at spots I’m blinded by trees
But no matter what day
You can locate me
On the river Aniene”
Their voices increased and soon the crew was yelling the words. So loud that a fisherman on the bank shouted about the bargemen scaring the fish.
“A girl accused me of being unfaithful
How can that be?
When the river flows constantly
Sure there are inns
And a few nightly temptations
But no matter what day
You can locate me
On the River Aniene”
Where the riverbanks closed in, the current increased, and the men worked harder to power the flat-bottomed vessel. Still, they sang.
“For it’s
Pole down
Barge forward
Upstream or downstream
The motion is the same
I’ve got sixteen feet of pole
Fourteen feet of river bends
Four feet of reach
Three feet of water
And an unbalanced craft
Load the stone
Load the goods
For it’s
Pole down
Barge forward
Upstream or downstream
The motion is the same”
Despite the toil and repetition of poling, Alerio enjoyed the singing and the work. But he could not understand why the other polemen sang at the top of their lungs. It almost hurt his ears. As well, they missed his fine voice in all the bellowing.
“A lender accused me of being coinless
How can that be?
My occupation pays extravagantly
I pole up goods
And pole down with Travertine
But no matter what day
You can locate me
On the River Aniene”
Days on the river passed with movement. And the nights were filled with vino, stories, and good food.
“Bargeman accused me of being lazy
How can that be?
When the big raft moves quickly
I may seem carefree
And drink vino like I’m thirsty
But no matter what day
You can locate me
On the River Aniene”
The polemen chanted as the miles and the river water flowed under the barge. It was a relaxed journey. Although, the polemen warned Alerio that the return trip with a heavy load of travertine would be dangerous.
For Alerio, the ease of poling allowed his imagination to dream up revenge. After getting his temple voucher back, the world would get ugly for Ignazio Rudentis Dispansus.
Act 10
Chapter 32 – Sneaking into Tivoli
The afternoon of day four on the river, a dock at Tivoli came into sight. And as if to torture the polemen at the end of their journey, the river got deeper and narrowed. Both attributes added to the polemen’s struggles.
“Push,” Scripuli called as he worked the rear oar. “The falls ahead aren’t as tough as you. Fight it.”
They could not see the falls, only feel the speed of the water as it flowed down the cascades and raced between the riverbanks. With four poles pushing and the rear oar guiding the barge, it finally nudged against a dock.
Built of heavy logs and designed to handle heavy sleds full of stone, the dock did not rock from contact with the barge. Massive upright logs vanished into the water and large logs, with the tops and sides squared off, made the decking.
The port side polemen jumped to the boards and tied the barge to the pier.
“Gentlemen, welcome to Tivoli,” Scripuli announced while stowing his rear oar. “We thank you Achelous, God of Rivers, for a safe, almost uneventful, journey.”
The bargeman eyed Alerio while saying the last part.
Alerio acknowledged the reference to his mishaps with a smile then inquired, “How long will we be at Tivoli?”
“The stonemasons don’t like to move the stone over muddy roads,” Scripuli replied while peering through the trees at low lying clouds. “It’ll take them a day to load if the rain holds off. Figure the day after tomorrow. Why? Are you going to leave me?”
“No, Captain. I’ve never been to Tivoli,” Alerio responded. “I heard about the cascades and wanted to hike the hills and see them from above.”
“Haven’t you had enough of the river for a while?” a poleman teased.
“Hi
king the scenery is very different than poling,” Alerio told him.
From a box on the aft of the barge, Scripuli pulled out an oiled cloak and a hatchet.
“It may sleet up in the hills above the falls. You’ll need to build a fire,” the bargeman advised. He handed the cape and hatchet to Alerio. “I’ll want them back.”
“Thank you,” Alerio replied.
A crew accompanied by a wagon came from down the road and stopped on the dock.
“Anything for the quarry?” a supervisor asked.
“Every item,” Scripuli told the man. “Come and get them.”
Once the wagon was filled, it rolled away. While waiting for another transport, the polemen and quarrymen carried the rest of the merchandise to the shoreline.
“Do you know where the Rudentis estate is?” Alerio asked one of the quarrymen.
“A half mile north of town,” the man replied with a laugh. Then he assured Alerio. “You can’t miss it.”
“It’s that large and opulent? Alerio questioned.
“No. No. It’s the one with blocks of stone littering the front yard,” the man replied.
“Why would they store blocks at their villa?”
“The family didn’t,” the quarryman responded. “The old man didn’t pay his bills to one quarry owner. But he demanded early payment from another owner. So, he got paid in stone blocks dumped in his yard.”
“They should be valuable,” Alerio offered.
“The stone is valuable. Except, Master Dispansus is as cash poor as his father,” the man described for Alerio. “He needs stonemasons, orders from customers and, coins to pay for shipping.”
“Can’t he borrow the coins?” Alerio inquired.
“Not from any of the businessmen in Tivoli,” the quarryman told him. “And certainly not without some ready capital to guarantee the work.”
Alerio now understood why Dispansus was desperate. He needed the coins from the temple voucher to turn the stone into travertine products.
Two wagons arrived and in the chaos of loading them, Alerio tucked the cape under an arm, hung the hatchet onto his belt, and slipped off into the shadows of the evening.
***
The road through the residential area of Tivoli followed a gentle slope upward. Beyond the apartments of the quarry workers and homes of the stone masons and craftsmen, the commercial district exploded with stylish buildings. Trade in travertine products, such as stair treads, walls, flooring, and columns, made the town prosperous.
After poling for days, stopping to tour the town, and sampling the local flavor would have been enjoyable. But, Alerio was not on the street.
With Gaius Claudius’ warning in mind, Alerio traveled the hills. Tivoli lay far below where he hiked a rocky trail. The locals may protect Ignazio Dispansus but, if Alerio slipped in and out unobserved, they had no target to go after. They did not, but Alerio did have a target.
***
Just as the quarryman described, giant rectangles of stone identified the Villa Dispansus. Five rested between the road and the low wall of the compound. The raw stones ruined the aesthetics of the country estate and distorted the driveway.
Seeing no household guards, Alerio slipped along the travertine until reaching a hill on the other side. He climbed, worked his way along the ridge, and settled in where he had a view of both the front and back of the compound.
Under the trees, Alerio snacked on dried meat and wheat cakes as night fell. When an icy drizzle began, he slipped the cape over his head. Among the patter of sleet on the tree branches, he huddled, chewed, and planned his vengeance.
***
Salacia, the Goddess of Calm Seas and Patience, graced Alerio with rest and an uneventful night’s sleep. In the sun’s rays of dawn, the clouds cleared, and he rolled out of the cape. Candles in the windows of the villa showed the household stirring. Alerio perked up. He needed a count of the household guards before executing his assault.
No sentries were apparent but, two young women came from the backdoor. After crossing the courtyard, they returned with firewood and vanished into the villa. In the city, a guard would have swept the wood pile for vagrants before allowing serving girls to venture out.
While he pondered the peaceful existence of patricians in the country, an older woman came out of the house. She took a path to the chicken coop. There, the servant spread grain for the birds. Again, no household guard accompanied the woman to the pen.
It seemed there were no chicken thieves in Tivoli. This proved Gaius Claudius’ premise that the locals watched over each other. Escape after the attack would be impossible if he had let the people in town see him.
Returning to his observation of the villa, he was rewarded with the sight of Ignazio Dispansus. The Senior Tribune strolled from the backdoor in comfortable slacks and a tunic. He approached the servant and said something to her. Throwing her head back, she laughed in a pleasant open-faced manner.
The lightheartedness of the early morning exchange went against everything Alerio knew about Dispansus. But the gladius on the man’s hip and the Legion dagger on the other fit perfectly. In a reflex action, Alerio touched the Golden Valley dagger at his back and the hatchet on the ground beside him.
It could be a fair fight between him and Dispansus. If Alerio could get a head count so he knew how many guards to eliminate before taking on the master of the villa.
Ignazio Dispansus walked the woman to the backdoor. As soon as she entered the house, the Senior Tribute’s head snapped from side to side. Once alone, he went from relaxed to alert. Here was the man Alerio knew. But the sudden change worried the former Centurion. What if Dispansus sensed Alerio’s presence and he called out the household guard?
Instead of a cry of alarm, Ignazio marched to the corner of the house. He was out of sight behind the villa for a long while before reappearing in the front yard. The Senior Tribune zigged zagged from the low wall to the house wall while traveling the width of the structure. He appeared to be searching the ground for something.
When Ignazio stopped and squatted, Alerio realized what the man was doing. With a hand, the master of the villa traced a small pattern in the gravel. The move resembled a hunter tracking prey and Alerio knew Dispansus was inspecting the yard for footprints. After completing a circuit of the building, the Senior Tribune went in the backdoor.
In all the time Alerio watched, no household guards or other servants came from the villa. Almost as if there were only four people living in the country estate.
The sun rose higher. Alerio ate more dried meat and wheat cakes. After breakfast, he retrieved the hatchet, stood, and draped the rain proof cloak over his shoulders.
“You and I, Senior Tribune, are long overdue for this talk,” Alerio stated.
He hiked down the hillside heading for the villa.
Chapter 33 - Travertine Justice
The front door opened, and a woman inquired, “May I help you?”
Alerio recognized her as the woman who fed the chickens. Up close she appeared frail. Originally, he intended to force his way into the villa. But two things stopped Alerio. He was afraid of hurting the woman with the friendly smile. And her eyes were as intense as Senior Tribune Dispansus’ eyes and were the same color.
“Is Ignazio in, Lady Rudentis?” Alerio asked.
Referring to the woman as the matriarch of the house was a guess.
“He is in his office,” she replied. “Are you an acquaintance of my son?”
“Yes, Lady Rudentis. We worked together in the Capital,” Alerio explained. “I apologize for my lack of proper clothing. I’ve been camping in the mountains and haven’t had a chance to change before calling on your villa.”
“Please come in,” she invited by opening the door. “I’ll send one of his sisters to get him. Would you like some refreshments?”
The two young women Alerio saw collecting firewood, walked into the foyer.
“Go get Ignazio,” the lady of the house ordered. Then sh
e remarked. “I’m sorry, I forgot your name.”
Alerio had not given his name, but she did not remember.
“Alerio Carvilius Sisera, ma’am,” Alerio offered. “It is my fault for not speaking clearly. If there is to be an apology, it is mine.”
“Such good manners in a young man. I am afraid my mind is not what it once was,” she admitted. Then to the sisters, she instructed. “One of you, please fetch Ignazio.”
“Yes, mother,” both women answered.
One went down a hallway and the other walked forward to stand by her mother.
“I saw no altar or statue in the front of your house,” Alerio pointed out. “What God protects your villa, Lady Rudentis? I’ll make a sacrifice for you.”
She brightened every time Alerio used the title. Almost as if she did not hear it much.
“I once had a garden in front of the house,” she explained. “But one of those horrible stones flattened my flower beds and another crushed our shrine to Laetitia, the Goddess of Hope, Gaiety, and Abundance. Such a shame.”
Her daughter put an arm tenderly around her mother’s shoulders and gave the lady a hug.
“What deity do you pray to?” Lady Rudentis questioned. “I will make a sacrifice for your protector.”
Boots tapping rapidly on tiles announced the arrival of Ignazio Dispansus. He rushed to the end of the hallway, stopped, and half drew his gladius. His sister arrived a few steps behind her brother.
“My personal Goddess is Nenia,” Alerio replied.
The Lady Rudentis’ hand shot to her face and she covered her mouth with her knuckles. But she recovered her composure quickly and dropped the hand.
“The Goddess of Death is a peculiar choice of deity for such a young man,” she offered.
Alerio locked eyes with Ignazio while lifting his right hand to his hip and resting it on the rain cloak. He began squeezing the fabric.
“I am an infantry officer, Lady Rudentis,” Alerio told her. As he talked, his fingers closed revealing the outline of the hatchet’s head under the material. “In combat, Nenia is always close at hand to help the injured pass from this life.”
“How interesting,” Lady Rudentis said. But her eyes were unfocused, and she sagged against her daughter.
Muted Implications (Clay Warrior Stories Book 12) Page 21