by Nhys Glover
‘What!’ The fair-haired soldier let out a grunt of astonished surprise at the move. He righted himself and swept his sword back in Gaius direction.
The incident had attracted the attention of the crowd, and they’d all moved back out of the way of the flying swords. The less confident soldier grabbed Brennwen’s arm roughly and hauled her out of the way, while his gaze never left the conflict taking place in front of him.
‘Milite, you do not want to do this,’ Gaius said softly, glancing in her direction. ‘My slave is no thief and neither am I. Let this go.’
The soldier thrust his sword at Gaius’ chest and, faster than her eyes could see, the patrician blocked the move and sent the soldier stumbling to the side.
‘You can fight, huh, civilian? Then you better come with us because now you’ve raised arms against the Emperor. The legate will deal with you.’
Without Brennwen being aware of it, two more legionaries had come up behind Gaius and grabbed his arms. His sword was taken from his grasp and, with a laugh, the blonde soldier thrust out his chest in victory. Then he brought his sword up to rest against Gaius neck again, drawing a trickle of blood.
‘Helmen, don’t. He’s unarmed. Let the legate deal with him,’ the younger soldier said hastily.
For a moment, the blonde stayed poised at Gaius’ throat, his eyes drilling into his prey’s. Then he gave another laugh and sheathed his sword.
‘You’re lucky, citizen. Or maybe not so lucky, after the Legate is finished with you.’
Gaius kept his features like stone as he allowed the soldiers at either shoulder to drag him away. The soldier who held her drew her along behind them as the blonde brought up the rear, his evident pleasure too obvious in his self-satisfied chuckles.
‘I don’t know about this, Helmen. We didn’t see them stealing anything. This is a citizen. He looks important.’
‘If he was important, he’d be wearing a toga and surrounded by guards, not just accompanied by one tiny local woman. No, he’s nobody. And he knocked one of the Emperor’s men to the ground and drew his sword against him. He’ll pay for that crime.’
Brennwen tried to breath, but her lungs wouldn’t co-operate. If she’d been afraid yesterday when facing her father, her fear now made that emotion seem like momentary unease in comparison. Gaius was being brought up in front of the commander of the fort, a legate no less. He might be condemned to death for his actions.
Part of her was worried that Gaius’ death would put an end to Cal’s rescue. The other part of her was more concerned about Gaius himself. She didn’t want him to die. He’d become too important to her for that.
They climbed the hill to the wooden fort at a jog. While Brennwen continued to fear for Gaius and condemned herself for the bad luck she was drawing down on this man’s head, she watched her protector. Nothing in his face or body movements indicated he was upset or afraid. His stony features gave nothing away.
Hauled before the Legate, they were both purposefully thrown to the floor at the commander’s feet. Brennwen tried to crawl over to Gaius, but he was already climbing to his feet and taking in his surroundings as he leaned down to help her up. The look he sent her promised that all was well. She wished she could believe him.
‘What’s this about?’ the Legate demanded, coming around from behind his desk to study the civilians his men had brought before him. He looked annoyed and impatient, neither of which would go in their favour, Brennwen knew.
‘This man attacked me while I was carrying out my duties,’ the blonde guard said stiffly, standing at full attention.
The Legate, a man in his late thirties with prematurely silver hair and muscular body, looked from the soldier who had addressed him to Gaius, who was now standing tall but relaxed, gaze ready to meet the legate’s.
The commander eyed the prisoner for a moment and then lifted his brows. ‘Gaius Annius Bibulus, if I’m not mistaken. I hope the proconsul is well.’
‘Lucullus is well, Legate Metilius Avitus.’
Brennwen wasn’t sure who was more shocked by the exchange, her or the soldiers who had brought them in. The young one who had held her arm looked suddenly sick to his stomach.
‘I have to assume my men have been over-zealous in their duties.’
‘I was checking for stolen goods, sir,’ spoke up the blonde, arrogantly. But she could hear the note of unease beneath the confident words.
‘Accosting my slave in a public place because she attracted his sexual attention, more like,’ Gaius said with steely stoicism. ‘I could not allow my property to be manhandled that way.’
‘Of course not. Why did you not tell these foolish milites who you were?’
‘I’m here in secret. Rebels are active in the area. Announcing my identity to all and sundry in the market place was not in my best interest. I’m passing as a scout for a gladiator ludus.’
‘Spying? Not one of your usual activities as part of the governor’s inner circle.’
‘I do what circumstance requires.’
The legate nodded as if he understood exactly what Gaius meant. He turned to the soldiers who were still standing at attention, but looking decidedly uneasy now.
‘There have been grumblings of misuse of power from the township before this. Newly conquered territory is not your playground. We do not abuse the locals, we do not misuse our power. Annius Bibulus, what do you deem sufficient to repair the damage done to you and your slave this day?’
All eyes turned to Gaius, who was regarding the four soldiers speculatively. ‘The Germanian is at fault. He instigated the actions. His punishment should be more severe. I doubt a bully like him will learn his lesson easily, though.’
The legate nodded thoughtfully and then directed his next words to the blonde solider who was now quaking in his sandals. ‘Militius, you have made a grave mistake here today and will pay for it.’ He turned to the other men at his side. ‘The rest of you are recent replacements, so I will be lenient with your punishment this time. When it is over, you will still be walking, unlike your comrade here. The next time I hear of any kind of misuse of power I will not show such leniency.’
Gaius spoke up again as the legate’s words sunk in. ‘I need these men kept out of circulation for the next week. I don’t need word trickling out to the locals that I’m anything but a scout for a gladiator school.’
The legate nodded again. ‘You’ll all be confined to barracks after your punishment. If any word leaks out about what transpired here today, the penalty for that leak will be death. Do I make myself clear?’
All four soldiers drew themselves up to an even stiffer attention and brought fisted arms to their chests in a metallic thud of acknowledgement.
‘Dismissed.’
The four men filed out and she felt sorry for the three who’d been drawn into the situation innocently. But she had no say here, and leniency was not a word often used in relation to the Romans.
‘So, can I offer you a meal?’ the legate asked Gaius, once the men were gone and they were alone in the room.
‘No thank you, sir. I must not be seen to receive favour. Can you get the word out that I am who I claim to be and that only a well-placed sponsor saved me from punishment?’
‘Certainly. Can I ask what this secret mission involves? I might be of some help.’
‘Do you know of any rebels in the area?’
‘No. This territory is quiet. What makes you believe trouble is brewing here?’
‘Reliable information. The governor is being drawn into a trap set by Brigantes rebels in Catuvellauni territory. My son is the bait.’
‘Your son? That’s heinous. Is that why you’re involved? You’re role is usually more diplomatic.’
‘Yes. Our informants tell us Calidius will be brought to this area, out of the way of the action. If their first attempt on the governor fails, they’ll use my son for leverage again.’ He motioned in her direction. ‘Brennwen isn’t my slave. She’s a local woman who knows the area.
She’ll have a better chance of finding out more about these rebels than we will.’
‘I can assign you men, out of uniform, if required.’
‘No sir, not at the moment, but thank you. I have my own men arriving shortly. Non-Roman gladiators. Unless the rebels are more numerous than we think, they’ll be sufficient.’
‘Send a message directly to me if you change your mind or think of anything you need.’
‘Thank you. Lucullus will be made aware of your support.’
The legate nodded abruptly and the two men grasped arms in the Roman way. With a last nod of understanding, Gaius curved his arm around her waist and led her out the door.
When she had started to shake, she wasn’t sure. It likely happened when she realised they were no longer in danger. But until the moment Gaius pulled her to his side, she hadn’t been aware of it.
‘Poor Brennwen, I’m starting to understand why you don’t like men. You do nothing to attract their attention, and yet the worst of my kind are drawn to you. I’m sorry for that.’
She shook her head, but couldn’t find the words to reply. The last few days had finally caught up with her and she had no reserves left to deal with any more.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Gaius made sure they took their midday meal in their room. Brennwen didn’t need any more attention directed her way. And he wasn’t in the mood to deal with anymore brutes that thought her fair game, either.
He had never considered what it must be like to be a woman without status. Without the protection of a strong man, she became the target of any brutish male in her vicinity. And though she wasn’t beautiful, Brennwen’s looks attracted attention. Once that attention was hers, she had no way of avoiding it.
So he kept her hidden away to sooth her shattered nerves and to give them both a well-earned break. Even he had been worried about the altercation with the milites.
It had come as rather a shock to not have his orders immediately followed. Since joining the army at nineteen, he’d been giving orders to lesser ranks on a regular basis. He took it as his right to do so as tribune and then as the governor’s civilian representative. It was disturbing to see how fragile his hold on power actually was. If the legate had been a stranger, it might have taken a good deal of talking to extricate them from strife. If he’d failed, then their mission to save Cal would have been lost, too.
For the first time, he saw himself as others like Brennwen must see him: An unassuming man who wielded power out of proportion to his presence. Without his senatorial background, he would have been nobody. Because of it, he held more power than a man like him should ever have.
As they sat on their pallet and ate their hot stew, Gaius wondered what Brennwen saw when she looked at him. Certainly, she’d been grateful for his intercession with her father yesterday and the soldiers today. She seemed to rely on him unconsciously. And he liked the trust she awarded him. It meant all the more because life had taught her not to trust men.
But that didn’t tell him what she thought of him personally. For the first time, her opinion of him began to matter more than it should.
‘You’re very quiet,’ he finally said to break the long silence that had fallen between them once the food was eaten.
‘I’m sorry. It’s normal for me to be silent.’
‘No. This isn’t normal. Tell me what you’re thinking. I imagine you regret ever getting involved in all this. At every turn, someone is attacking you.’
Her silver eyes turned up to his and he saw the shock there. So it wasn’t regret that was holding her tongue.
‘I could never regret trying to save my s… Cal. I would do anything to bring him back to you safely. I just don’t think I’m much help. I thought I could be of use, but I seem to be causing you more harm than good. If not for me, you wouldn’t have been marched before the legate.’
‘That was not your fault. You did nothing to draw those soldiers to you.’
‘I bring bad luck. I have never really believed that before. But now I can think of no other reason for the hardships we’ve encountered. You could have died at my father’s hands; you could have died at the soldier’s hands. All because of me.’
‘First, you saw how I fought your father. I was never at risk. As to the soldiers… When they took us, I had a good idea what being taken to the commanding officer would mean. I’ve met most of Lucullus’ military leaders over the last two years. If we’d come across one I didn’t know, then all I would have had to do was disclose my identity.’
She shook her head and the long, white plat that usually fell down her back dropped over one shoulder. In that moment, she was more beautiful than any woman he’d ever seen. Maybe not physically, but whatever light that shone from within her on occasions like this was remarkable.
‘I couldn’t have stood it if they’d killed you,’ she whispered, her eyes like stars.
‘I know you fear for Cal…’
Her small hand came up to cup his bristly cheek. ‘Not just for Cal. I’ve never –’
Gaius used his mouth to stop her from going on. He didn’t want her to lay her feelings bare for him. They were already written in her eyes. Hearing her speak of her admiration would only fill him with guilt, because he’d realised that, knowing no better, she’d raised him onto some idealistic pedestal he couldn’t possibly hope to live up to.
Though kissing her may have stopped her words, it didn’t stop the feelings that flowed into him from her lips. And they ate away at his resolve and filled him with longing. He wanted her to feel this way about him. He wanted it to be true. He wanted to be her hero.
After breaking from the kiss reluctantly, Gaius brushed her hair back from her face and cupped both cheeks in his hands. Looking down into her starry eyes, he was made aware of the physical effect she had on him. His heart was pounding against his chest, he was gasping for breath, and his arousal had surged to life beneath his tunic.
The temptation to take what she offered was almost more than he could stand. But he couldn’t give this sweet creature anything but heart-ache in return for her trust. She was a slave, a Celtic slave, who belonged to someone else. He was a Roman patrician who would, one day, have to marry one of his own kind, to further his line. The only bond they could share was sexual, and that would have to be put aside when the demands of his role required it.
‘Sweet Brennwen, how I wish I could give you more than a few stolen kisses. Even when Cal is found, there can never be a time for us.’
She blinked away tears that made her white lashes sparkle like ice crystals. ‘I know. I am so far beneath you, I could never hope for more than this. Even your kisses are more than I deserve.’
He shook his head, realising how she’d misunderstood him. ‘It isn’t about being higher or lower, it is about our different roles in life. Mine was created for me the moment I was born, as was yours. And those roles were never meant to mesh in any meaningful way. I could buy you, make you my bedslave, but when I married again I would have to put you aside. That would be neither fair nor kind.’
She blinked rapidly and the tears that clung to her lashes trickled down her cheeks. He let his thumbs smooth them away gently.
‘I wouldn’t want to be forced to share your bed because you owned me.’ He frowned. ‘I would never force you; surely you know that by now? But that would be the only way we could be together. The only way that is accepted by my society.’
She nodded. ‘I understand. Please don’t buy me and do that. You may not force me, but I’d never feel able to say no. I couldn’t stand it if I came to hate you because of it.’
‘But if I bought you, you could be Cal’s nurse. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?’
The sudden rush of hope he saw on her face was almost too painful to watch. He’d just offered her the world and she hadn’t even considered it a possibility before.
‘I could be his nurse? You would buy me and I could be his nurse?’
‘Yes. As long as you didn’t
tell him your belief about being his mother…’
‘No, I wouldn’t tell him.’ She looked at him with such gratitude he had to release her and back away.
‘You have to stop looking at me like that. I don’t want to hurt you. But if you look at me like that I won’t be able to stop myself.’
She frowned, as if uncertain of his meaning.
‘You look at me with love, and that makes me want to use that love to drive away my own fears and loneliness. But I don’t want to use you like that. So don’t look at me…’
Nodding, she looked away, a rash of red blotches making their way up her neck and into her cheeks. ‘Do we go out and try to listen for hints of rebels again?’
‘I will. You stay here for now. I don’t want to have to deal with more men accosting you.’ He tried to make it a joke but he could see the hurt in her eyes at his words. Too late, he realised, he had fed right into her worst insecurities. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it, because what he’d said was true. Right now, she was a liability in his search for his son.
16 April 86 CE
For the long hours of the afternoon and most of the next day, Brennwen lay on the thin pallet and stared up at the cobweb cloaked eves above her. Watching the little black spiders busy capturing their prey was the only entertainment available, and that only reminded her of the trap Cal was being used to bait. The Brigantes rebels were the spiders waiting to attack the unsuspecting Romans. But they weren’t unsuspecting, and Cal wasn’t quite the bait they expected him to be.
Because of her. Only because of her.
She tried to analyse her feelings. It had shocked her to see how far ahead Gaius had been projecting by telling her he could never offer her anything in the way of a commitment. The thought that he could or would commit to her had never entered her head. And though he said it was not because of status, she knew that it was a factor. After all, he’d considered buying her as his bedslave. That was a clear indication of how he saw her.