The Kin
Page 37
***
The traders were in a good mood and Titus was leading the singing, because tomorrow they would be in Viminacium. Marius listened but didn’t join in to the local song. He’d picked up the words easily enough, but he didn’t feel like singing. That uneasy feeling had returned and Junius was worrying him as well. Added to that he wasn’t looking forward to the rest of the journey, because after Viminacium, they would ride to the Colonia of Sarmizegetusa, which was the administrative and political centre of Dacia. There they would meet the governor and the quaestor.
“Marius, can I speak with you?” He looked around, surprised that Junius had ridden up from the rear during the middle of the journey.
“Of course, is anything wrong?” Marius studied his friend and noticed the pale anxious face and wary eyes. “They’re getting worse, aren’t they?”
Junius nodded, then took a breath. “I have to tell you something, Marius, and you won’t like it, but I feel it’s better that you know and I’m completely honest with you.” He waited for Marius to nod before he continued.
“That morning after the battle in Parthia when Nasir asked me where the Kin were hiding, I didn’t tell him the truth. I deliberately withheld the location of some of them so that they’d be safe.”
Marius glanced over, eyes narrowed, he had a horrible feeling that he wasn’t going to like what his friend was going to tell him next, but more importantly, why was Junius only now remembering this?
Junius dropped his eyes. “It was all part of the plan. We realised before the battle ended that they weren’t going to be able to save me, so we decided to trick you. I would come with you and give Nasir the information he wanted and in return you would trust me again so that soon enough I’d be free to move about unrestricted at night. In the meantime the remaining Kin would follow, watching and waiting. Safe because you wouldn’t think that they’d stayed with you and not fled. Then when you believed I was back to myself, Belinda would come and rescue me, with the Kin providing a shield to stop you intervening.” Marius remained quiet. “That was the idea anyway, but I lost my ability to communicate with them, quite early on, and then forgot the plan as I came to my senses. When Belinda arrived that night, I’d forgotten everything about it.”
“Except that you insisted that you weren’t ready to go back to Antioch, despite Nasir’s assurances,” Marius interjected.
“I knew that I was waiting for something, but I didn’t know what. I honestly didn’t know that what remained of the Kin were out there; maybe if I had, then I wouldn’t have done what I did.”
Marius turned his head around. “What do you mean, Junius? You said to me that you were all right, you looked me right in the eye and I believed you. What are you trying to say?”
Junius took a deep breath. “I knew that she and I couldn’t have gotten away, because you and Nasir were close. So I chose to kill her myself rather than let you.” He looked over at Marius. “But if I’d known the Kin were there I don’t know if I would have killed her.”
“You want to be one of them?” Marius hissed at him. “You knew what she was, how can you say that?”
“I don’t expect you to understand, but I had strong feelings for her, and not just because we shared blood and she transformed me, it… it isn’t something you can put into words. But I wasn’t repulsed at what she was or could become.”
Marius shook his head. “No, you’re right, I don’t understand, Junius. Are you saying that you might have gone with her?”
Junius looked at him. “I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. She’s gone. But I do still feel something for them, I can’t help it. It’s my fault they survived.”
Marius scowled and stroked the horse’s head to reduce his anger. “We already knew that some had escaped and now we know why. How long have you known this, Junius?”
“I’m sorry Marius, really I am. I honestly thought that I was recovering, but being out here in the wild, it just makes the memories come flooding back.” He looked out into the countryside, whilst Marius waited for his answer. “I’ve suspected for a few days, but last night confirmed my suspicions of what had really happened.
“I won’t side with them, Marius. I’m loyal to Rome and the Empire. But I do...” Junius didn’t finish. “I’m sorry.”
Marius let out a huge sigh to cover his sense of betrayal. “You’re telling me that you still have an affinity with them. Well, Junius, that makes you a liability in my eyes.” He spurred his horse on and moved away from Junius, too angry to continue the conversation, but in reality there was nothing more to say. He couldn’t trust his friend and commander.
Thankfully they soon came to Viminacium, which was a huge Roman town on the river Danube. It had started life as a military fort, consequently it was set out in the grid-like network familiar to all soldiers; only the buildings had changed their functions.
Here they said goodbye to the traders, who would be staying at the town, and after having a bath Marius sought out Titus to confirm some of his suspicions about the mouldy wheat.
As they’d crossed the region, he’d become a little wary of the spy, as he’d learnt from the other men that Titus was greedy. So it was possible that he could’ve tried to take advantage of the bad weather and had possibly asked for more money from the quaestor, which would have forced the government official to find an alternative supplier for his army. Consequently the trader could simply be using the opportunity to spread rumours and get the man into trouble. Ideally Marius would have discussed his suspicions with Junius, but he didn’t feel inclined to right now.