by Brown, Nick
‘Hey! Hey, you!’
‘Oh no,’ said Simo.
Spying a trio of labourers coming after them, Indavara dumped his block and ran past a mound of rubble to the side gate. It was identical to the other one – except it was shut and secured by a padlocked iron chain.
‘Shit.’
As he and Simo turned round, the labourers piled out of the villa. One was the man Indavara had spoken to.
Another, older fellow spoke up. ‘Take us for cretins, do you? There is no other crew. Least now we know who’s been stealing our supplies.’
‘Not us,’ said Indavara.
‘What in Hades were you doing with the stones, then?’
‘Listen.’ Indavara patted the satchel. ‘I have some gold coins in here. If I give you one will you let us go on our way?’
The leader looked at the others, then all three laughed.
The jollity didn’t last. The leader stalked towards Indavara and pointed at Simo. ‘Balbus, you watch Fatso. We’ll take care of this one.’
Balbus – a bearded giant even taller and heavier than Simo – approached the Gaul. Simo tried an appeasing smile, to no obvious effect.
Indavara looked over his shoulder. The wall was high and he could see no way over. He glanced at the villa. The wooden scaffold was between the side of the building and the wall. The alley beyond was narrow, the houses opposite close.
‘Hundreds of sesterces you thieving cocksuckers have cost us,’ said the labourer, pulling a hammer from his belt. ‘It’s time for some payback.’
‘Sorry, Simo. We don’t have time to mess around.’
Indavara ran: through the lowest level of scaffolding, along the side of the villa, then inside through a low window. The mosaic-makers watched as he bounded up the staircase.
On the first level there were little more than walls and floorboards. From below came several shouts as the labourers gave chase. He raced up the next staircase; on the top level there were only floorboards.
Once at the edge of the structure he looked down through the scaffolding. The sloping roofs of the townhouses opposite were about ten feet below. He reckoned the distance across the alley to be no more than fifteen feet. Close enough.
He heard the labourers on the first floor. He ran back to the staircase and looked down. The leader was charging up at him, face red, still gripping the hammer. Indavara looked back at the scaffold. Enough of a run-up? It would have to be.
‘Put that down.’
Simo took the block from his shoulder and held it across his chest. He could hear the men yelling as they chased Indavara but all he could think about was that horrible villa and those horrible people. Surely the hour was almost up. What would they do to that man Ulixes and Master Cassius? He had to get away too.
The bearded labourer seemed to see the change in his expression. ‘Don’t even think about it.’
‘Lord, forgive me.’
Simo heaved the stone at the man, who had no choice but to try and catch it. He got both hands on it but overbalanced and fell backwards, the stone landing on both stomach and groin.
‘Sorry!’ Simo looked down the long drive that led to the villa. At the bottom was the main gate, which was open. He set off at a jog, sandals splashing through muddy puddles.
Indavara checked the satchel was secure then sprinted away from the staircase. He touched the planks of the scaffolding only once – a driving step that launched him high into the air and over the alley.
A rust-coloured roof flashed towards him.
He spread his arms and legs but the impact shattered dozens of tiles and drove the breath from his lungs. His boots landed just above the edge of the roof and he instantly began to slide. His left foot slipped off. He pressed down with his hands but both were stinging. His right foot dropped over the edge, then both knees.
He heard tiles smashing on the ground. Spying an exposed wooden beam, he gripped it with his left hand and held himself against the roof-edge with his right arm. Legs hanging, he sucked in some air then looked down – surely there wasn’t far to drop.
But whoever owned the house was clearly keen on security. The wall directly below was topped with triangles of glass.
Two young children – a boy and a girl – had stopped in front of the house and were standing there, watching him.
‘What are you doing?’ asked the boy.
‘Indavara!’
He twisted his head the other way and saw Simo trotting along the street. The Gaul raised both hands in desperation. ‘How did you …’
Simo then looked back the way he’d come. The three labourers weren’t far behind.
‘Here,’ said Indavara, slipping the satchel from his shoulder and flinging it into the street. ‘Take it. Get to the villa.’
Simo picked it up. ‘What about you?’
‘I’ll work something out. Just go!’
As Simo fled, Indavara looked down again at the wall. He might just be able to swing forward and land inside it, but that would risk catching his back or head on the vicious edges of the glass.
‘Well, well.’
The labourers had arrived.
‘Got yourself in a bit of a mess there, haven’t you, mate?’
The leader was carrying a length of wood which he threw at Indavara, catching him on the side. Indavara stifled a cry as it clattered to the ground.
‘What fun this is going to be!’
The next thing that struck Indavara was smaller and harder; the labourers were now using the broken tiles. Another one caught him between the shoulders. His left arm was going numb.
‘Ha. Simpler than catching fish from a barrel!’
The men came up to the wall to make their task even easier. The moment they did so, Indavara realised he had a chance. His landing had damaged several columns of tiles but the adjacent columns were intact. He reached over to his right and pulled away the lowest tile on the nearest one. The tiles above all slid after it and rained down on the labourers, one smashing on the leader’s head.
‘Ow! You sneaky arsehole!’
Zaara-Kitar returned with her other four sons. She twisted a strand of hair around a finger. ‘It’s funny what a sense of anticipation will do. I do want my money but now I find I’m almost hoping they don’t make it. Your friends are certainly cutting it fine.’
‘Where are they?’ wailed Ulixes.
Cassius shrugged helplessly.
The moneylender picked up the hourglass. ‘Oh. I’m afraid time’s up.’
‘What?’ cried Ulixes. ‘No.’
She held it up to show him. Kushara and another brother took one arm each and lifted him off the couch.
‘Just give them a little more time,’ he pleaded.
‘Sorry. An hour is an hour.’
‘Crispian, do something!’
‘Oh, he’ll do something,’ said Zaara-Kitar. ‘He’ll watch.’
With one eye on the dog, Cassius stood. ‘If you hurt him, I won’t pay.’
Again, she seemed amused. ‘What makes you think you’re in a strong bargaining position? Hurry, boys, I have that appointment.’
One of the other brothers went to stand by the door that led to the garden. Next to it was a long cane and a pail with a slab of stone across the top. Zaara-Kitar gestured to the dog handler, who passed the leash to one of the sons. The beast growled as Ulixes was dragged past.
‘Please, no. Please!’
Cassius looked out at the courtyard but there was no sign of Indavara or Simo. Surely the villa wasn’t that far from the inn. What were they doing?
‘Not this,’ begged Ulixes. ‘Please, not this.’
‘So you’ve heard of the garden, then?’ enquired Zaara-Kitar, still twirling her hair.
‘Everyone has.’
‘It pleases me to know such measures have an effect. Afterwards I’ll have the boys dump you near the dice dens. Word will spread quickly, I should imagine.’
Cassius’s thoughts had turned from his subordinates to
his superior; how exactly would he explain allowing Ulixes to be killed an hour after meeting him?
‘All right, how much more?’ he asked. ‘How much more to keep him out of there?’
Zaara-Kitar came closer and looked up at him. ‘I suggest you stay quiet from now on, Master Crispian. This worm has escaped the consequences of his actions for long enough.’ She gave a nod.
In the middle of the door was a small window. The dog handler looked through it, then unbolted and opened the door. The brothers dragged Ulixes forward then shoved him into the garden. As the door was locked behind him, Ulixes turned and examined his surroundings.
‘Come,’ Zaara-Kitar told Cassius, walking over to a long, grilled window. ‘This should be rather entertaining.’
The handler reclaimed his dog and positioned himself close by as Cassius stood behind the moneylender and her sons.
The garden didn’t contain any trees or flowers. The square space was about twenty feet across, enclosed on all sides, with the door the only way in or out. In the middle was a smaller square – a shallow pit of sand, half of which was covered with low bushes. Cassius also noticed two water bowls.
‘We’ve used a few different animals over the years,’ said Zaara-Kitar, as if she were describing her choice of paint or rug. ‘Hyakinthos isn’t just a dog handler, he knows how to keep all manner of creatures. We’ve had scorpions, spiders, all sorts. But you know, Master Crispian – people really do hate snakes. Oh, there’s one now.’
The reptile’s rear half was hidden in a bush. It was thick in the body, its scales varying shades of brown and white. The rounded head came up off the ground and bobbed from side to side, thin black tongue licking the air.
‘Southern Arabian adder,’ continued Zaara-Kitar. ‘There are, what, six now? These were all born in captivity but Hyakinthos says they can’t really be tamed. He feeds them rats – just enough to keep them alive. They have no real reason to attack humans, yet they do. Hyakinthos says it’s because they’re territorial. Personally, I think they just enjoy it.’
Ulixes moved away from the snake, sliding along the wall up to the window. He turned to the onlookers, face pale and clammy. ‘Please let me out. I’ll get you double. By the end of the day. I swear on my mother. On the gods.’
‘Watch yourself,’ advised Kushara.
The snake slithered off the sand and onto the stone.
‘Their teeth can go through leather,’ added Zaara-Kitar as Ulixes moved away. ‘In fact, the bite is often enough to kill smaller prey. A mercy really. But of course it’s the venom we humans have to worry about. It’s strange, we never seem to see the same results twice. Sometimes the skin swells, sometimes it bleeds; some are paralysed, some can still move; some vomit and collapse immediately; others seem fine at first but after a few hours their skin turns black and green. One man lost all the fingers on both hands. There’s only one consistent factor – the pain. You do have a good chance of surviving one bite, but once you’re down on the ground, the others usually join in.’
The snake was no more than three feet long. Its head came up, and it let out a long, malevolent hiss.
‘Oh my gods,’ breathed Ulixes. ‘Please let me out. I beg you, I beg you!’
Kushara and his brothers laughed.
Cassius felt an icy tingle across his shoulders and spine.
‘Master Crispian.’ Zaara-Kitar turned from the window and showed him the silver snake on her arm. ‘Do you see? I had it changed to look like the adders. Do you see?’
Simo thought he was about to expire. As if running to the inn and back hadn’t been enough, he was now on the steepest part of the slope, the satchel banging against his side as he ran. The journey up the drive had never seemed this long in the cart. He wiped his face and ploughed on, sandals slapping on the road. He was so exhausted he’d even forgotten to pray.
Indavara’s left arm was no longer numb. In fact, numb was starting to sound pretty bloody attractive. The pulsing ache stretched from his elbow to his fingers and his grip was weakening by the moment.
The labourers were continuing their onslaught so he stretched out his right arm and pulled off the bottom tile of the next column, forcing the trio into evasive action. With more of the roof frame now exposed, he could reach up and grab another of the vertical beams with his right hand. As a tile struck his backside, he hauled himself up and wedged a knee on the roof-edge. With one last effort, he was able to climb up, turn and lie back against the beam.
His assailants didn’t look too happy about it and continued to throw their missiles. Indavara could have done with a minute to recover but the temptation was too great. He dodged a couple of tiles, then plucked more off the roof beside him and launched his own attack. His volleys were both harder and more accurate. The labourers were soon retreating.
Then he heard a door open below and a woman’s voice. ‘What’s all this noise? What’s going on?’
Indavara clambered up the frame towards the peak of the roof.
Zaara-Kitar had decided they would be able to observe better by moving to another window. Cassius looked on – Hyakinthos and his slobbering friend still behind him – as she and her sons exchanged comments on the unfolding events in the garden. Cassius had little doubt they were enthusiastic attendees at gladiatorial contests; he wanted to be far, far away from this vulgar house and its repellent residents.
‘Oh look, there’s another one, see him?’
‘Ah yes, that’s the big fellow who killed one of the others. He can be especially nasty – keeps biting until there’s no venom left.’
‘I don’t think that branch is going to do our friend much good.’
Ulixes had given up on pleading and was channelling all his energy into survival. He had been moving around the courtyard to avoid getting trapped and had snapped off a short branch from one of the bushes. Pathetic though the weapon was, he held it out in front of him with both hands as if it were a sword.
But now he was cornered, with two of the serpents closing in on him and two more lurking behind them. Their eyes resembled dull grey marbles and were fixed on the interloper. The smaller of the first two kept its head off the ground as its coils propelled it forward to within five feet of its prey.
Ulixes swatted at it with the branch. ‘Gods save me!’
The tortuous advance suddenly seemed too much for him and he kicked out.
‘Bad move,’ said Kushara. His mother stepped forward, fingers gripping the grille of the window.
The snake had retreated momentarily. But as Ulixes threw himself backwards into the corner, the coiled body suddenly unwound. Cassius glimpsed a pair of long white teeth as the snake lunged.
Zaara-Kitar craned her head to see into the corner. ‘Did it get him? Did it get him?’
Once it had struck, the snake withdrew.
Cassius and the brothers moved closer to the window. Ulixes gripped his stomach and looked down. All the remaining colour had drained from his face. But then he touched the thick, military-style belt he wore and a slight grin appeared.
‘Lucky bastard,’ said one of the younger brothers.
Reinvigorated by his close escape, Ulixes lashed out with the branch once more. This was enough to deter the smaller snake but the larger one showed no fear as it raised its head and slithered across the stone. Still stuck in the corner, Ulixes had nowhere to go.
‘Don’t think he’ll get that lucky again,’ observed Kushara.
Zaara-Kitar pressed her face against the window grille, desperate to see the next attack.
‘This is barbaric,’ said Cassius. ‘And stupid.’
‘Careful, Master Crispian,’ said the moneylender.
‘My friends will be here within minutes. What will you have gained?’
She kept her eyes on the garden. ‘As you can see from my home, I want for nothing. This is really about the principle. Oh look – I think your friend’s time has come.’
Ulixes seemed to be trying to push his way back through th
e wall. He had turned side-on to the snake, which was just inches from his feet. Hissing loudly, it continued to sway and bob its head, apparently choosing the best place to bite.
Cassius heard shouts from outside, then quick, heavy footsteps.
‘Sir! Sir! I’m here!’
‘That’s Simo,’ said Cassius. ‘That’s your money. Let Ulixes out of there. Do it!’
Simo ran in, satchel jangling.
Zaara-Kitar made no attempt to hide her disappointment. She waved at Hyakinthos, who handed over the dog again, then unbolted and opened the door. He took the stone off the pail and deposited several small rats onto the ground. They scurried off in different directions, closely followed by the snakes. All except the one in front of Ulixes.
Hyakinthos picked up the cane and struck the ground as he walked confidently towards the snake. Once he’d driven it off, Ulixes scrambled along the wall and threw himself into the atrium. He tripped and landed face down on the floor.
Cassius turned to Simo. ‘Where’s Indavara? And what kept you?’
The attendant didn’t have the breath to reply; he was doubled over, sweat pouring from his face.
Cassius took the satchel from him and looked inside. ‘It’s all here.’
Zaara-Kitar told Kushara to count it. He took the bag from Cassius and deposited it on the table.
The lady was twirling her hair again. She looked down at Ulixes as he got to his knees. ‘You’re a very fortunate man.’
‘Why can’t you just break people’s fingers like a normal moneylender?’
Kushara stopped counting. Cassius and the others looked at Zaara-Kitar.
But she smiled. ‘Nobody remembers broken fingers. I imagine you will remember the garden until the day you die.’
Indavara reached the top of the roof then slid down the other side, knocking off yet more tiles. By moving across to the right he was able to lower himself onto the wall enclosing the rear courtyard. This too was covered with glass and he had to step carefully as he tiptoed along it. He had almost reached the rear wall when a door banged open.